Alpine SkiingBeijing 2022
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The second Olympics without medals for the Italians is no coincidence, even if the best Paris was missing. Will Domme be in Bormio in 4 years? The great hope for Milan-Cortina 2026 is Franzoni, increasingly solid from the giant to the super-g, but the spare parts are very few (especially in speed). And what happened with Marsaglia cannot be forgotten.
Wednesday 23 February 2022 5 minutes reading time
A disaster, no ifs and buts, given that it is the confirmation of an already very difficult World Cup season (one victory, Paris in Bormio, and very little else) and, broadening the horizon to the previous Olympic edition, of the "zero" of PyeongChang 2018.
The male Italsci came out with broken bones from the Beijing Games and with a sensational case, still far from resolved, linked to what was revealed by Matteo Marsaglia with the request to give up the super-g in favor of Mattia Casse . It all started with just seven places in the contingent for men, and this too was a serious error of assessment net of what happened in the "farce" races that emerged in recent weeks, but also with 9 or 11 places available, probably the end result would have been the same in terms of medals.
The best result was the 6th place of the leading man of the movement, Dominik Paris, who remained dry for the second consecutive edition and certainly not in his top year, especially in super-g where Italy was completely missing, with Marsaglia himself the best result with an anonymous 18th place. The exit of Luca De Aliprandini in giant has left the blue team dry, then there is the 8th place of Giuliano Razzoli in slalom and the 10th of Christof Innerhofer in combined, but very far from the best in a a specialty now no longer his.
Not even a joy has come from the team event and, already thinking in terms of Milan-Cortina 2026, the prospects risk being even worse.
The downhill parts are very few and, at almost 37 years old, it will not be easy to hope for a Paris at the starting gate of the “Stelvio” in Bormio which, barring sensational surprises, will host the men's Olympic descent. Innerhofer has reiterated this several times, he wants to continue dreaming of the 2026 Games as well, but the difficulties of the last few seasons are evident. Behind Marsaglia, Casse and a Buzzi completely to be rediscovered, there is little even if, for now in super-g (and in giant, but this is another matter) and soon perhaps also in descent, the great hope of a important future responds to the name of Giovanni Franzoni.
Among the wide doors, a similar situation, with Luca De Aliprandini who will be 35 years old in Milan-Cortina and, Franzoni and Della Vite aside, a lot of work to do to propose a real team in the home games, obviously passing through a series of results in the next years of CdM. And the slalom? Here the reference can only be Alex Vinatzer, whose talent cannot be discussed even if it is still to be "polished", Sala has grown a lot and we are sure that the best Maurberger will be able to play it at the highest levels, after having disposed of a very serious injury.
Razzoli, Moelgg and Gross will not be there, but for Theolier and Costazza a bit of light can be seen even if, once again, the numbers do not lie and Italy has not won in tight posts for over 5 years.
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