The early season on the women's side was led by Marlies Schild of Austria, who won six slaloms and a super combined, clinching both of these Cups early. But the biggest story of the season's first half was the resurgence of Austria's Renate Götschl, who was coming off a difficult 2006 season which saw her drop to 19th in the overall standings, her worst finish since 1994. She rebounded to dominate the speed events, winning four races in Super G and three in downhill, securing the trophies in both of these events. American Julia Mancuso, 2006 Olympic gold medalist, had a very strong season, scoring the first four World Cup wins of her career. Nicole Hosp of Austria had a solid season with several podium positions, but few victories. Lindsey Kildow of the US celebrated three victories before she had to drop out after the World Championships due to a knee injury. Entering the World Cup Finals, four women — Hosp, Götschl, Mancuso, and Schild — were within a 102-point range, and each of them had a realistic chance of winning the overall World Cup title.