Industry News
The piste on the Rettenbach Glacier was perfectly groomed, fresh snow had fallen, topping up the well prepared race course and painting the surrounding area in a fairytale-winter-white after weeks of unseasonably warm weather. Winter is here, or at least the spirit of it and with it the FIS Alpine World Cup season opener, which was held in in Sölden, Austria, for the 30th year.
Victory went to Austria’s arch-rival Switzerland, with Lara Gut-Behrami winning the Giant Slalom event this Saturday, October 28, 2023, making her the second woman in history to win three Sölden race, after having won previously in 2013 and 2016. Gut-Behrami shares this rare feat with Slovenia’s Tina Maze.
Run 1
The Swiss skier had lucky starting bib number 1, but on her first run luck was not on her side and it was only enough for fourth place. Bib number 2 skier Sarah Hector from Sweden slid past her with a 0.23 second lead into what was ultimately a second place for her first run. Mikaela Shiffrin with bib number 3 could not best the times put down and finished her first run 0.02 seconds behind Gut-Behrami in what was ultimately the fifth place. Slovakia’s Petra Vlhova had just recovered from an infection but showed strong form racing into third place behind Swedish Hector and reshuffling the top positions. Her top section had looked very strong, putting her initially in the lead, but she may have lacked the strength to hold on to her lead all the way across the finish line. Italy’s Federica Brignone flew into first place with a smashing half minute lead in front of Sarah Hector, while America’s Paula Moltzan put down a disappointing first run and came in three seconds behind the leading Italian. She appeared stiff and out off her element and after run 1 said to teammate Shiffrin, “Ugh, I’m still figuring this GS thing out.”
Italy’s Sofia Goggia had a rocky start to the race season, having to ask for a re-run afer almost colliding with a course official. While not with a medal chance, the Queen of Speed uses these technical races, like some other speed skiers, to build confidence and work on their technique leading into their big speed events. She was start number 32 when the gap between starters is reduced to 45 seconds. Unfortunately a course official was still on course and she skied out due to the obstruction, looking rather annoyed. She later admitted on social media to teaching him a few choice Italian swear words. The Italian ski racer had a re-run and finished in an impressive 20th, given her late starting number.
“Legend has it that today, this man, has been given an express lesson of the most colorful expressions in Bergamo … I can’t say it out loud … “track” in the full version so as not to resort to sanctions
Goggia’s teammate Federica Brignone was in the lead by a solid half second after the first run and ‘Fede’ said in her interview after run 1: “I felt good. I have been really good all summer and it was great in Argentina. Then we came back here to Europe, and actually the training here was really challenging and not easy. I am confident and I think you can see it on the slopes. I did my best but I still have one run to do. […] It’s not easy the first race of the year. It is hard to give 100%. You try but you hold back a little bit. I am really happy with my performance.”
Run 2
Moltzan was the third skier out off the gates, or the third worst of the top field if you will, as the second run is held in reverse order. In Giant Slalom the combined time counts and only the top 30 skiers qualify for a second run. The American skier put down a smashing run and her time of 1:09:49 for Run 2 was the second fastest Run 2 of the day, with only Lara Gut-Behrami beating her time for Run 2. Moltzan sat on the winner’s seat for more than half the field, watching competitor after competitor unable to best her combined time. The key to her success was her ability to hold on to her top speed from the steeper section of the course and carry it into the flatter bottom half, where her competitors lost speed. Moltzan briefly shared the small race seat with Slovenia‘s Ana Bucik, who had the same combined time as her. The shared seat was shortlived as New Zealand’s Alice Robinson flew into the lead with a nail biting run down the rutted course. But it was down to the final 10 and everyone knew Alice Robinson’s position in the winner’s seat would be limited.
The top 10 battled it out in formidable form, but victory ultimately went to Lara Gut-Behrami who put down a very aggressive second run. She managed to carry the high speed from the top all the way down to the bottom of the course, taking the lead with three skiers still to go. The Swiss ski racer collapsed in the finish area and sat in the snow instead of on the leaders seat and watched anxiously with Petra Vlhova, Sara Hector and Federica Brignone still to go, but none of the top three skiers from Run 1 were able to unseat her despite their first-run advantage. Federica Brignone came close, finishing a mere 0:02 seconds behind Gut-Behrami, while Petra Vlhova overtook her Swedish competitor Hector and finished in third, 0:14 seconds behind Gut-Behrami. It was a nail biting finish and exciting to watch and the perfect way to start the 2023/24 alpine ski racing season.
Sunday will see the men battle it out on the Rettenbach Glacier.
