The guide to the female giant of Soelden: Mikaela Shiffrin favored, but very open struggle

It is now all set on the Rettenbach for the opening of the 2019/2020 World Cup.

Friday 25 October 2019 12 minutes reading time

The female giant of Soelden will officially kick off a new season of great skiing, with the challenge between the wide doors that will start at 10.00 on Saturday morning (live TV on Raisport and Eurosport 1, as well as for the 2nd run at 1.00 pm ). The weather promises a sunny day to enjoy a great battle on top of conditions, waiting to discover (starting at 19.00 at the draw ceremony in the square in Solden) the starting numbers of the great protagonists. Favorite? Well, it is logical to indicate in the first place Mikaela Shiffrin, literally dominant in an absolute sense last season even before the previous ones, winner of the crystal ball also in giant (the first of her career) and of the last Cup race in Soldeu, after having left the world title in the street, went to Petra Vlhova with the US "only" third. Just the Slovak, which has grown enormously in the last 12 months, could be the first rival even if on the Rettenbach it doesn't have an important historian (8th in 2016 the best result); together with Petra, however, the patrol of athletes who are not only candidates for the podium, but also for the victory, is really nourished with the winner of the last edition, Tessa Worley, who does not present herself at 100% of the condition after the 'knee operation last spring and the few days of skiing, but it remains an absolute reference in giant and loves this track. And then here is Federica Brignone and Viktoria Rebensburg: the 'blue and the German bring together three victories in Soelden (2015 for Faith, 2010 and 2017 for Viki), have finally experienced a preparation without physical problems after complicated summers and have class to will to sign the big hit. Behind these five stars, which not by chance are also the same in order in the specialty WCSL, could be a step below Marta Bassino, which will start in the top 7 (despite being eighth in the ranking of specialties, but there will be no Mowinckel) and on the Rettenbach he took the first podium of his career; the 23-year-old from Borgo San Dalmazzo suffered a small stumbling block in training, falling in one of the last finishing sessions in Hintertux, but said clearly that she was doing well and, after a mocking exit a year ago after a few doors, he wants a very different debut to find the season of true consecration after a last vintage with little consistency at high level (although saved from the podium at Plan de Corones). The last athlete in the first sub-group of merit will be Wendy Holdener, who in giant has certainly not the step shown for years in slalom, but can point to a top five maybe taking advantage of some error (or a condition not at the top) of great rivals. Between the No. 8 and the No. 15 in the world, the last to enter the second sub-group will be precisely the 2001 New Zealand class, Alice Robinson, able to seize the first (and sensational) podium in the Cup of Soldeu World, second only to Queen Shiffrin. A very clear signal for a bright future, even if to indicate it immediately among the most favored for this opening could be risky. Here then are the first Austrians, that is Ricarda Haaser and a clear Eva-Maria Brem in the final of last season, but it will be complicated for the landlords to aim for the podium, without Stephanie Brunner, again injured in the summer and out for the whole season, Anna Veith that we will almost certainly see again in Killington and the long-awaited Katharina Liensberger, still in the pits for the famous question related to the change of summer materials (she should return to Levi for the first slalom of the season, but the contracts are not yet signed ). In the second sub-group of merit, we find another young woman to be followed with great attention, the Slovenian Meta Hrovat, the Swedish Sara Hector, the Norwegian Kristin Lysdahl and the compatriot Thea Louise Stjernesund, in addition to the French Coralie Frasse Sombet. Speaking of absences, Norway also cannot smile because it lacks the tip Ragnhild Mowinckel and Nina Haver-Loeseth, just as Switzerland has yet to give up the star Melanie Meillard and will propose, in addition to returning Michelle Gisin that will start for 16th, a Lara Gut-Behrami in search of redemption. Behind the Ticino, which between absences and retreats (above all that of Frida Hansdotter), will leave for 25th Irene Curtoni, who wants to get back to getting some good points also in giant, and a little behind Francesca Marsaglia, with the Piedmontese of adoption returned to great levels in speed last season and waiting at the gap even among the wide doors. And the other blue ones? We have not forgotten Sofia Goggia, but she will be forced to leave the gate with a very high bib (we have already explained in detail her situation after the accident and in general two difficult giant seasons), or 64, and she will have to bet to qualify and then recover some positions in the 2nd round. Finally Karoline Pichler, finally free from the physical problems of recent years and already able to get good placements last season, and the duo formed by Roberta Melesi and Roberta Midali looking for the first points of their career in a World Cup giant. A BIT OF HISTORY... The Rettenbach in Soelden hosts the opening of the World Cup uninterruptedly since 2000, with the female giant not only played in 2006 and, in the second millennium, it had also been staged in '93, '96 and ' '98. In total, therefore, we are talking about 21 disputed editions, with Anita Wachter opening the gold register twenty-six years ago and a special podium to remember, that of the ex-aequo victory for Andrine Flemmen, Nicole Hosp and Tina Maze in the 2002. The multi-winner in the Oetztal giant is Tina Maze with 3 successes, followed by a quintet formed by Flemmen herself, Lara Gut-Behrami and the Germans Martina Ertl and Viktoria Rebensburg. The Italians have good memories of the Rettenbach, if we think of the two successes obtained by Denise Karbon in 2007 and Federica Brignone in 2015, both with another podium in Soelden (the "fairy" of Castelrotto third in 2009, the second in Valle d'Aosta in 2018). And then the podiums of Deborah Compagnoni, second in '96 and third in '98, double also for Manuela Moelgg third in 2010 and 2017, with Marta Bassino finally third in 2016. In essence, an 'blue on the podium in the first giant of the season we see it continuously for four editions.

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