Behind the story of Petra Vlhova: from the world title jr to the advent of Livio Magoni, with only one goal in mind ...

The 25-year-old Slovak is now the reference, but her growth passes from a 360 ° job that now seems complete to collect the maximum. From the disappointment of PyeongChang to the triumphs of Are, always looking forward. The Bergamo coach: "Now we are concentrating on the parallel of Lech".

Monday 23 November 2020 8 minutes reading time

Yesterday we defined her as a killer on the cup, she who commands with three podiums in as many races, including the two splendid successes in the weekend slalom in Levi, a ranking that already sees her with a fair margin over her direct rivals, even if we are only at the dawn of a very long race towards the crystal ball. Petra Vlhova on the top step of the podium on Sunday, for the 16th time in her career in CdM races, brings with her a series of experiences that now make us think that, at 25 and after many years in the top circuit, having widened the field from the only slalom in which she was competitive since she was a girl, even to the descent where she could have already won in the maximum circuit last January in Bansko, the maturation is really complete to aim for the maximum. The Slovak champion started this 2020/21 season practically already in full lockdown, last April when Jasna had the opportunity to train again on the snow. An enormous work on a technical and athletic level, led by his staff led by Livio Magoni, who then moved on to training on the track in June at the Stelvio and then the gradual approach to the debut in Soelden first, and then to the slalom opening. to Levi, preparing all kinds of race situations for the double appointment in Finland. Magoni and his men are literally doing everything, even more so in a complicated situation like this linked to the pandemic, to guarantee Petra a support that, as a private team with virtually no federal support, is the envy of any athlete. As we have been able to report in recent days, just think that Vlhova immediately traveled on Sunday evening towards Munich (together with his brother Boris and skiman Gigi Parravicini) with a private flight made available by the personal sponsor, in order to rest those extra hours that literally make a difference in the course of such a short but increasingly intense and exhausting season. On the other hand, it has always been this way in terms of organization for all the greats, from Hirscher to Shiffrin to Vonn. "I, together with Matteo (Baldissarutti, the Friulian technician who has been working in Team Vlhova since 2019, ed), am returning driving the minibuses from Finland to home - confirmed Livio Magoni himself in these hours - Arriving on Tuesday, we will prepare immediately training on Wednesday morning, then the transfer to Lech and again the race ”. Yes, because Thursday Petra Vlhova will still be the favorite of the parallel on the Austrian slope, she who won the last specialty cup (albeit with only two races, one of which won in Sankt Moritz) and trained a lot also in PGS in recent weeks. Because with Magoni nothing is left to chance. LIVIO AND PETRA Everything starts from afar, from those first days of May 2016 when the collaboration between Livio Magoni and Petra Vlhova was presented in Rovetta, with an agreement on an annual basis and the idea that it would then be discussed again in view of the 2018 Olympics. The coach from Selvino, where the Slovak star has trained many times, and then has been based in Vipiteno for a couple of seasons now, "took Petra by the hand" when Liptovsky's young Mikulas had not yet turned 21 and the Bergamo-born had just returned from the extraordinary ride where he had led Tina Maze on the roof of the world, between medals and that 2012/13 World Cup in which the Slovenian had signed the sensational record of 2414 points in one season, and the subsequent adventure driving the '' Italsci in pink for two years of sowing, then concluded with a decidedly bitter farewell. Sure, Vlhova had graduated junior world champion in Jasna, in 2014, and had won the World Cup a few months earlier, in the Are slalom, but she seemed "only" a potential great athlete among the rapid gates. The first pearl under the guidance of Magoni will arrive in the slalom of the Aspen finals (March 2017), anticipating Mikaela Shiffrin, who the month before had won her third world title in the specialty with Vlhova fourth (but at the first senior medal with the '' silver in the team event). Then the disappointment of PyeongChang, with only 5th place combined as the best result in his second Olympic appearance, the first with great ambitions. Then the gear change, the five victories of 2018/19 and the trio of medals at the World Cup in Are, with the masterpiece in the golden giant that puts her on a different level, she who had already won twice between the doors wide in the previous weeks and will finish in second place in the cup overall. And last year that absolute crystal ball was caressed, because while finishing in 3rd place behind Brignone and Shiffrin, Petra was Federica's most dangerous rival, in that crazy season finale. Now yes, he really has everything to complete the mission.

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