One king, two queens (but wins on points) and 'Italy: the budget of the World Championships in St. Moritz

Alpine Skiing: All news

St. Moritz Corviglia: All information

Italy: All news

Two weeks have been very good races the World Cup in St. Moritz that have just ended, even if they were not full of satisfactions for the color blue, in fact, far from it.

Monday 20 February 2017 12 minutes reading time

The weather for most of this period was beautiful and most of the races were brought home in date except for the men's downhill, postponed by 24 hours, from Saturday to the middle Sunday of the World Cup, the same day of the female , because of the "Maloja snake", the cloud that has caused so much trouble in the past and that this time, after all, was quite benevolent towards the organizers and athletes. Numbers in hand, the World Championships in the Upper Engadine has two queens, Mikaela Shiffrin and Wendy Holdener, and an undisputed king, Marcel Hirscher. The Austrian has played, as he said himself, a perfect world: after the super-G played at a slow pace and just to get a feel for the speed in view of the combined downhill, won a silver in multiple trial at a single penny from striking winner Luca Aerni and two extraordinary gold in giant slalom in the appointment and practically infallible confirming with the podium in the technical races: this winter are 15 out of 16! At this amazing champion just missing the Olympic gold to approach the greatness of Ingemar Stenmark and dissolve the doubts about who definitely, between him and Hermann Maier, is the second ever. Two queens among women, we said, as both a gold and a silver at the neck, although Shiffrin after all wins on points for the posting, 1 "64, trimmed in slalom Holdener. How Hirscher, who at the end of the season will pocket his sixth consecutive crystal ball, Mikaela is starting to win his first overall World Cup given that we now have a clear path to the injury of Lara Gut, another in the women's field. In slalom is set to become soon the largest ever for the number of victories, but in a sense, given the four consecutive triumphs in the World Cup and Olympics, perhaps it already is. And if one day would begin to win even at speed it could even aspire to become the largest ever. As for Holdener, his two medals were expected and, Shiffrin permitting, can she bring Switzerland to a victory in the women's slalom that is missing now for 15 years. Among the disappointments we are to be counted among the men, Alexis Pinturault and Henrik Kristoffersen. The Frenchman has once again demonstrated its inconstancy, the Norwegian his immaturity and childishness When inserting the defeats, while a silver in super-G behind Canadian Erik Guay Highlander is not sufficient to the expectations of the other's Eve Norwegian Kjetil Jansrud. Among women it is almost completely missed Viktoria Rebensburg, some expected something more from Lindsey Vonn but it is for once proven human and anyway her bronze in downhill if it is brought home. As in every edition of the World Cup and the Olympics there have been the surprise victories, like the aforementioned combined Aerni and that of Nicole Schmidhofer in super-G, the Swiss becomes part of those who won an Olympic gold or world without ever before climbing on the podium, while at least the Austrian had already conquered. But there were also confirmations of the favorites of individual races that have been won by them on time: has happened to the Swiss Beat Feuz and Slovene Ilka Å tuhec in two runs and the French Tessa Worley, who took home his second gold world champion in giant slalom. Chapter Italy. Needless to say that the disappointments have been more satisfactions. Especially among men was a Caporetto: for the second consecutive time the Azzurri return home from a World Cup without even a medal plus, apart from the fourth place Dominik Paris in combined, there have never been even close: three ninths and a tenth place are far too little for a team that during the season of the World Cup has put together 12 podiums including two wins. But the most worrying thing is that almost everywhere we must cling to the senators because the interesting young people, especially in technical disciplines, are very few, while in fast ones are still very hard. And we come to the women, one bronze and seven placings among the top ten are not a bad budget but at least two other precious metals, especially in a general context with many absences and some athletes through service first floor, could arrive, then taking into account of the 14 seasonal podiums. The medal was there in the giant thanks to Sofia Goggia, but threw a great chance in the super-G, where perhaps for the first time in his life fell without attacking, and down he missed the gold for a very serious mistake but, despite having to settle for fourth place, the error was exceptional avoid a devastating fall. The output in the combined slalom, which had won the descent, does not leave much regrets: hardly Sofia would win a medal. Our other leading and only to win a race this winter, Federica Brignone, won three top ten, including the bitter fourth place in giant behind the rival Goggia. And the rivalry between the two blue leading ladies held court in the Italian media: existing for some time and has long been known to insiders because of the extremely competitive nature of both, this rivalry was detonated, but we have already spoken, on some papers not for the results on the track of the two but for a phrase interpreted to art by some newspapers of one of the two, to which the other responded directly in the press room. After the giant, the party for the bronze Goggia Chalet Italy was marked by smiles and toasts but it is evident that the rivalry will continue and we hope to continue only on the track and to the sound of great results for both. For the rest, there could be the inclusion of Elena Curtoni in the quartet of the descent, the more so in the super-G was fifth but most had been third in the downhill premondiale eleven months ago. Three athletes have announced that this was their last world, while another two have not announced it, although in skiing as in life you never know how things are going, maybe it would be good that they had done it: especially in slalom we need spare parts, through the narrow doors we will have to wait a little 'while in the other disciplines rejuvenation may be more immediate. Certainly, however, it will be hard to do without a Manuela Moelgg still struggling like a lioness on the threshold of 34 years coming sixth in giant, a position on what he had done 14 years ago in St. Moritz. Two closing words related to the news Italian evening generalists: the only time the World Cup in the Grisons have appeared in the opening news of these newscasts was when an aircraft of the Swiss aerobatic flying too low last Friday has sliced â€‹â€‹the camera cable for aerial shots making her fall into the target area, fortunately without causing any victims or injured. Now, it is true that the results in these World of Italy perhaps did not deserve a space like this, but at least last Thursday, just to announce the bronze Sofia Goggia even those who ski do not give a damn, you could do a ' exception. But this battle we are tired of fighting it is lost from the start.

Social media engagement