Alpine Skiingworld Cup
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Without Cortina, Kristoffersen risks being passed off even before the Kranjska Gora races. Among women, Brignone one step away from the giant crystal ball and three ... from the historic absolute World Cup. In the women's sector, seven of the last ten matches on the calendar have been canceled.
Friday 6 March 2020 7 minutes reading time
The worst way to end a season to say the least troubled, with the blow of the cancellation of the finals of Cortina that the FIS, after the communication of the Italian federation, will ratify on Saturday morning.
Therefore, four men's trials remain on the calendar, one for "classic" discipline with descent and super-g on the weekend in Kvitfjell, in addition to the giant and the slalom of 14-15 March in Kranjska Gora. Among the women, where seven of the last ten scheduled races have been canceled, in Are we will see a parallel slalom on Thursday 12, a giant on Friday 13 and the final slalom on Saturday 14 March.
The idea of the finals divided between Are and Kvitfjell soon went to the cellar, since there was no possibility of covering the costs of an organization that was anything but trivial. The failure to dispute the finals therefore means another double arithmetic success for Switzerland (which will also win the Nations Cup, taken away from Austria after more than 30 years), with Beat Feuz celebrating the third consecutive crystal ball downhill, still before taking to the track tomorrow in Kvitfjell (194 margin points on Dressen, at this point with only one race to play), and Corinne Suter who signs the encore.
The 25-year-old Swiss, already triumphant in descent (where Ledecka and Brignone finish in 2nd and 3rd respectively), thus also takes the super-g cup, preceding Federica Brignone by 19 points, at the end of the day at his shoulders for that famous penny cost the Aosta Valley the success in the last race of La Thuile.
The Italian could console himself with the giant cup, at this point very close since, in the Are race alone, there will be 74 points to defend on Vlhova: 10th place will be enough to celebrate, but it is clear that the goal it is much bigger. The first ever World Cup in the history of women's blue skiing is certainly much closer with four fewer races, even if the 153 points margin on Mikaela Shiffrin, expected to return to Are, are not reassuring with a parallel slalom, a giant and a slalom which, if we see the US champion at least close to its maximum level, are in favor of the winner of the last three crystal balls. A Petra Vlhova, 189 lengths away, will need a real feat with only 300 points up for grabs, with the Slovakian at the same time leading the parallel rankings (13 points on Direz, but they are all there) and slalom, where Shiffrin follows her just 20 points behind (the American just need to win the final race in Are to conquer yet another trophy).
KRISTOFFERSEN OUT?
On a male level, Henrik Kristoffersen risks being already out of the game even before taking to the track in Kranjska Gora. Yes, because with 107 points behind Pinturault, but above all 81 points for Kilde, the Norwegian risks ending up above that 200 quota from his teammate, which would be fatal.
Between Kilde himself and the French, divided by 26 points in favor of the latter, it will be a very uncertain fight probably until the final slalom on Podkoren, with AAK called to overtake in Kvitfjell to then play again heavy points in the Slovenian giant and hope in the many slalom specialists to defend the possible (and probable) margin on "Pintu".
As for the various specialty cups, said that the parallel one is already by Meillard and the combined one ended up in the hands of Pinturault, the final race will be thrilling in three disciplines: Sunday in Kvitfjell in super-g, Mauro Caviezel will start with 3 points margin on Kriechmayr, but also Mayer, Kilde and Jansrud could do it.
In giant, Kristoffersen defends 6 points on Pinturault, with Kranjec and Zubcic still in the running, and the Norwegian will have to finish ahead of Clément Noel, who follows him with only two detachment lengths, in the final slalom to take what would be his second ball crystal in the discipline, with Daniel Yule theoretically still in the race albeit with 57 points behind. And a lot of anger for two slalom canceled in a few days, considering Naeba's failure to recover ...
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