On Thursday, the real action began. Women competed in the super-G on the Ulrike Maier course. The track was named after a talented Austrian racer who won two medals here in Saalbach in 1991, one in super-G, and crashed fatally three years later in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Her death was a turning point in the safety discussion surrounding the World Cup races, as it happened during the live TV stream, and people were appalled.
Tina Maze: “This super-G will be ideal for the downhillers.”
After the course inspection, the Eurosport experts Tina Maze (9 WCH medals) and Viki Regensburg (2 WCH medals) analyzed the track. They concluded that it was very straight, with many blind gates and not many turns. Thus, the inspection would be crucial, as the success relied on finding the best possible line, letting the ski run as smoothly as possible, and staying as much as possible in the tuck.
And their prediction was fulfilled, as the racers who found the straightest line won. The weather was perfect, as if the Austrian organizers, who created such a fantastic atmosphere and thought about everything, negotiated this weather with Mother Nature.
Laura Gauche (FRA) remained in the lead with bib number 1 until Federica Brignone (ITA), with bib number 6, deposed her. Brignone brought her stellar form to Saalbach and told the press she would try to get as many medals as possible. She skied down the slope in a precise line but was a little too cautious in the end.
Then, the crowd roared to cheer their own. Their hopes lay mainly with Cornelia Hütter, who had a higher bib number. But after Richarda Haaser’s crash, Stephanie Venier did something amazing. She found the perfect direct line, nailed all the jumps, and spent most of the race in the tuck. She toppled Brignone, and the crowd went crazy. Venier did not belong to the biggest names at the start list; the favorites were yet to come. But as Sofia Goggia (ITA) made too many mistakes, and Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI), Corinne Suter (SUI) or Cornelia Hütter were not aggressive enough, Venier remained in the lead until the end.
Federica Brignone remained second, and bronze went to Norway and the USA because Kajsa Vickhoff Lie nailed the end of the race, and then Lauren Macuga skied with crazy speed and a fantastic line. The two shared the bronze position.
The press and the fans waited for Lindsey Vonn’s performance, who went down with bib number 30. She let the fans know on her social media that she suffered from some kind of respiratory infection, and that might have influenced her focus because, in the third gate, she caught her arm painfully and skied out, luckily unharmed.
The Swiss and Their Troubles
Many skiing nations would love to share the troubles of the Swiss skiing federation. They managed to choose four racers for the super-G according to the results. But the choice for the downhill proved to be trickier. As Marco Odermatt is defending his last year’s title, four additional spots were reserved for their nation. Enough for most, not enough for the Swiss, as they traveled to Saalbach with seven possible candidates for the downhill spots, as seven men met the qualifying criteria.
This season’s World Cup winners did not have to fight for it; Justin Murisier, a winner from Beaver Creek, and Alexis Monney, the winner from Bormio, have ensured their spots with their results. So has Franjo Von Allmen with his three downhill podiums this season. But then, Stefan Rogentin, Lars Rösti, and Marco Kohler had to fight it out in the inner qualification that took place during the second training run.
Stefan Rogentin complained bitterly about the format, as he also races in the super-G and would not like to injure himself over the qualifying criteria. But then, he showed the youngsters what experience means at an event like this and came home with the best time from the Swiss squad.
So, the Swiss finally know who will race in the downhill on Sunday, but they have plenty of time to decide for their combined team.
As for the American Dream team for the team combined, it seems that Lauren Macuga finds herself in far better form than Lindsey Vonn, but let us wait for the final test in the women’s downhill on Saturday.
