[ad_1]
GEPA Photo/Matthias Mandl
Lara Gut-Behrami of Switzerland bounced back from a disappointing first run to win her fourth GS win of the season.
She was the first superstar to ski the final course. Although she is the GS standings leader this season, she was only ninth in the morning run. However, she had a fierce competitive spirit and was known to offer something extra to defend her lead. She skied to the limit, almost crashed, but survived and finished in the lead (0.41), giving her a hard-earned chance at the podium. However, there were still eight female athletes remaining who had the advantage of first run.
“The first run wasn’t what I wanted. I felt a little too round and too passive on the ski,” Gut-Behrami said.
Click on image to enlarge
“For the second run I just attacked, pushed forward and tried to be faster on every meter of the hill. I made a big mistake at the finish so I’m really happy that it worked out in the end.”
The first of these eight was Swedish Olympic champion Sara Hector, but she finished behind Gut-Behrami (+0.76). Next in the race was Norway’s Ragnhild Morwinkel, who finished more than a second behind the Swiss leader.
The next person to threaten the Swiss champion was AJ Hart of the Stifel US Ski Team. Hart skated with a lot of energy, narrowly (+0.15) ahead of Gut-Behrami, putting him in contention for his first World Cup GS podium.
This leaves the fastest five from the first run. Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic was at the head of the final group, but fell far behind the top two. Next was Thea Louise Stanesson of Norway, but she also lost time during the run and moved up to third place. At the start, only the three fastest riders in the first run remained.
The first of the group to ski was Alice Robinson from New Zealand. Although she attacked and gave an impressive power performance, she finished in second place (+0.01) behind the Swiss leader. That’s when Gut-Behrami knew he had made it to the podium.
“It’s always a little bittersweet feeling when you come in second at 1/100,” Robinson said. “Obviously, it’s a little disappointing not to win, but it’s still a really good result to be on the podium.”
“I think I’m at a point where I feel a lot more consistent than I’ve ever felt before,” Robinson said. “Over the course of different weekends, different slopes, and different snow conditions, my skis feel very stable overall.”
However, this season’s nemesis, Italian Federica Brignone, was next to skate, but she made a disappointing mistake and finished fourth. Gut-Behrami then realized that she was as good as second place. The last person to ski was Italian Marta Bassino, the first run leader. Still, with a sixth place finish, Gut-Behrami secured her fourth GS win of the season and moved into the overall World Cup lead, five points ahead of her absentee, Mikaela Shiffrin. With only two GS races remaining on the calendar, Gut-Behrami also extended his lead in the season’s GS standings to 135 points.
To the delight of Stifel US Ski Team fans, 23-year-old AJ Hart earned his first World Cup GS podium in 3rd place (+0.15). Hart was fourth fastest on the second run and moved up three places to join the World Cup podium on the Kranjska Gora slalom.
“I was kind of excited to come back because I was injured all last season, so it’s really crazy for this to happen,” Hart said.
“Alice and I grew up skiing together at Lake Tahoe, so this is a moment we’ve been waiting for for a long time, so it’s so cool.”
Hart will be the first American woman other than Shiffrin to stand on the World Cup GS podium since Lindsey Vonn won in Sweden in December 2015.
north american
The first member of the Stifel US Ski Team to ski the second run was Paula Molzahn. Molzahn was ranked 13th in his first run. She had a great skate, but she finished in second place, ahead of 12 competitors who had not yet skated. However, Molzahn finished the day in 11th place (+1.16).
Canadian junior world champion Britt Richardson was the 11th skier to attack the second course. She revealed that she continues to do elite skiing. She moved up six places in the final run, and she finished 14th (+1.31). Soldeu’s result today improves her eligibility for her first invitation to the World Cup finals.
Kandyan’s Cassidy Gray became the first North American to ski the final run. This is his second GS appearance this season and his fourth. Although she made a big mistake with a problematic late gate, it was her third time this season and fifth time in her career that she scored and earned a point.
Biggest improvement on second run
Austrian Ricarda Hasser showed the biggest improvement in her second run. After finishing her first run in 18th place, she performed her fastest second run and moved up 10 places to finish in a season-best 8th place.
Lara Gut Behrami won her fourth GS win of the season in a thrilling display of skill and determination. She struggled to take the lead turn after turn, eventually earning the top spot on the podium and now leading the overall World Cup standings. As the ski community celebrates her outstanding performance, anticipation builds for the next exhilarating race on the calendar.
“The globes will be presented in March and not before,” Gut-Behrami reminded. “And this season, I think we learned that in order to win something, it’s not just about skating well, it’s not just about mastering the technique, it’s also about staying healthy and safe.”
The next and final regular season Women’s World Cup GS will be held in Åre, Sweden on March 10th.
Soldu Andorra GS results and analysis of the fastest 3 cars and North Americas
Click on image to enlarge
Analysis of the three fastest cars and North Americas
[ad_2]
Source link
