Last weekend before the finals, men met in the Norwegian Hafjell, while women tried the steep and dangerous Italian slope La Thuile.
Italian Kitzbühel: Super-G Events In La Thuile
On Friday and Saturday, two super-G races occurred, while the weather did not permit the downhill trainings, so no downhill could take place.
- Related post: Last Weekend Before the Finals
The stakes were high. Before the weekend, Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) had a 55-point lead on Federica Brignone (ITA). Federica was on her way to acquiring the big globe and two or three more. But the lead seemed safe, as super-G is Lara’s primary discipline.
But Brignone was at home.
On Friday, Brignone finished third with a 0,12-second lead on Gut-Behrami.
Victory belonged to the 21-year-old sensation from Germany. Emma Aicher is a true all-rounder, and this season, she got into the form of her life.
Sofia Goggia (ITA) was also at home, and the super-G was set very straight, which suited her style. She finished second with only a 0.06-second gap on Aicher.
On Saturday, Romane Mirandoli (FRA) went down with bib number 1 and retained the lead until Federica deposed her with bib number 6. And this time, she held the lead until the very end. But her teammate, Sofia Goggia, tried very hard to depose her and only lost 0,01 seconds on Brignone. As Lara Gut-Behrami finished in fourth position, tied with her teammate Corinne Suter, Brignone leads the super-G ranking, which means that the globe winner will be decided in the finals.
Salt On Norwegian Snow, Salt In Norwegian Wounds
The battle over the giant slalom and slalom crystal globes could be decided in Norway.
Saturday Giant Slalom
Marco Odermatt (SUI) held only a 41-point lead on Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR). Henrik loves Hafjell and sure hoped to continue his winning streak from Kranjska Gora. But Saturday was not Henrik’s day. In the first run, he only managed to reach fifteenth place. His Norwegian colleagues did not fare any better. Alexander Steen Olsen finished sixth in the first run, and if you count Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (as many Norwegians in the audience did), the best of their team finished fifth.
The Swiss led the way: Loic Meillard, Thomas Tumler, and Marco Odermatt. In the second run, they only switched places and performed another clean sweep of this season, this time on Norwegian snow.
With Henrik Kristoffersen finishing deep in the middle of the list, Marco Odermatt grabbed the giant slalom title for the fifth time and added the globe to the super-G he already gained last weekend. And also, after Saturday, Marco will undoubtedly become an overall World Cup winner because no one can topple him mathematically.
Sunday Slalom
On Sunday, the Swiss had reason to celebrate again, but the Norwegian crew did not make it easy for them this time. Henrik Kristoffersen was in the lead of the slalom rankings, and a good result (and a finish before his rival for the title, Clement Noel) could make him a winner this Sunday. However, in the first run, Henrik only managed sixth, and Clement Noel (FRA) finished before him. Also, Pinheiro Braathen was in a good position to get a first Brazilian World Cup win, finishing second 0,34 seconds behind the unstoppable Loic Meillard.
In the second run, Henrik Kristoffersen accomplished his mission. He finished sixth, adding 9 points to his lead on Clement Noel. They go with an 86-point difference into the finals, which makes it very improbable that Kristoffersen would let the Frenchman get the globe. But another challenger emerged during the Sunday race.
On Sunday, other Norwegians remembered their skills in the second run: Timon Haugan and, more notably, Atle Lie McGrath. For a time, the three Norwegians occupied the red chair, McGrath and Haugan enjoying the day, Kristoffersen biting his nails as usual in a situation like this.
Then Lucas Pinheiro Braathen broke them apart but failed to outpace his best friend, McGrath. Now, everybody waited to see what Loic Meillard, with his famous nerves of steel, would do to his advantage. He did not fail to deliver and won.
Thus, McGrath and Braathen shared the podium again, this time on Norwegian snow, which is all the more precious for them both. Loic Meillard should be sorry that the season is ending because he is in the form of his life.
Now, he, not Noel, wants to complicate Kristoffersen’s chase for the crystal globe. With only a 47-point gap, that chase will sure be interesting next week.
