Ends the unbeatable summer of Sara Takanashi, in Courchevel wins Katharina Althaus

In the late afternoon of today, in Courchevel, the opening of the Women's Summer Grand Prix 2017 was held. Against the predictions of the eve did not set a Japanese athlete, but the teutonic Katharina Althaus facilitated by the race management component he left to wish.

Friday 11 August 2017 7 minutes reading time

In the first series, it was decided to have the most spectacular competition ever since the first bouts: the very high starting point allowed many athletes to keep pace with the best and the gradual lowering of the gate made it even more balanced. In the middle of the race, the girl of Oberstdorf was able to dance with an excellent performance of 95 meters (the best measure of the day) and just after her, a further (fatal) lowering for the last three contenders was decided. In the second half of the competition, a more rational choice was made about the starting gate, but performance far behind the first run resulted in an inexplicable rise in the stitch for the home athlete Lucile Morat. The youngest in the race took advantage of the best, crowning a comeback of 8 positions and ultimately fifth (best result of the career on plastic). The time that another athlete jumped far beyond the point k returned to the gate with which the second series started, although the wind conditions were not properly improved until a further downhill just before Takanashi left, fifth to Half race. At the decisive moment, Althaus defended himself at the same time, demonstrating an ever-increasing technical strength, and thus succeeded in crowning his first career success in summertime racing competitions and becoming the fifth ever to succeed. At the place of honor was the holder of the Summer GP Sara Takanashi, detached of 10.7 lengths from the winner. Japan has thus cut off its line of consecutive successes in top-level plastic competitions at 15. However, it should be said that Kamikawa's twenty-year-old had consistently been beaten in the jumps ahead of the race but by his teammate Yuki Ito. Just the employee of the Tsuchiya Home multinational is the one that has more to complain about: the super favorite since the first jumps on the little trampoline of Courchevel le Praz, he had to abdicate the winner first, but at the decisive moment also to the youngest teammate. Beyond the lack of victory, there is the constant ability to express themselves at the same level as Takanashi even in summer, a novelty for the entire pink jumping movement. Fourth place for Irina Avvakumova, also with a fate in jumping from the lowest stern in the second series and even less fortunate in finding the worst possible wind conditions. At the best of the circuit, however, were confirmed Svenja Wuerth (6 ^) and a recruiter Maren Lundby (7 ^). They have closed the top ten three athletes who in the past season have struggled to stay inside: eighth place for Sarah Hendrickson, step by step closer to trying to return one of the athletes to beat; Followed by Spela Rogelj, the best Slovene, and Yuka Seto, as usual the third best Japanese. Manuela Malsiner has confirmed the best blue: the ninth in the middle of the race has slipped five places back in the decisive moment because he did not make the most of the strong front wind found. Lara's sister was the only other Italian to enter the points area, ranking 28th. Group veterans have struggled overwhelmingly: Evelyn Insam closed 33 ^, while Elena Runggaldier 39 ^. The leitmotif on the progress of the blue team's athletes was also followed by France and Canada. The young ladies have achieved remarkably brilliant results: at the already announced fifth place Morat is added 18th of the novice Oceane Paillard and 26th Romane Dieu for the transalpines, while an excellent 15th place of Abigail Strate and equally convincing 22 ^ by Natasha Bodnarchuk made the maple country smile. The general ranking of the Summer Grand Prix clearly reflects on all of today's competition: Althaus will be the new yellow pectoral with 100 points won, followed by Takanashi (80) and Ito (60). Next week, women's circuit-level top-level races are scheduled: Frenstad pod Radhostem will stage two races on Friday, August 18th. COURCHEVEL HS 96 1. ALTHAUS Katharina (GER) 230.8 2. TAKANASHI Sara (JPN) 220.1 3. ITO Yuki (JPN) 219.0 4. AVVAKUMOVA Irina (RUS) 213.7 5. MORAT Lucile (FRA) 210.3 6. WUERTH Svenja (GER) 208.7 7. LUNDBY Maren (NOR) 208.3 8. HENDRICKSON Sarah (USA) 205.2 9. ROGELJ Spela (SLO) 203.9 10. SETO Yuka (JPN) 201.4 Click here for the full results.

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