The first trophies are awarded in Courchevel. Norwegian Alexander Kilde and the Italian Sofia Goggia won Wednesday in the Savoyard resort the globes of men’s and women’s downhill skiing, rewarding the winners of the World Cup in the specialty. The Swiss Marco Odermatt officially wins the big crystal globe after flying over the general classification in all disciplines.
– Nicolas Peronnet
Unsurprisingly Odermatt
With a very comfortable lead in the general classification, Marco Odermatt knew when he arrived in Savoie that he would be crowned, it remained to be seen when exactly. By finishing 2nd in the men’s downhill on the unprecedented eclipse track, won by the Austrian world champion Vincent Kriechmayr, the Swiss prodigy therefore quickly finished the job.
His 14th podium of the season allows him to win the most prestigious trophy in alpine skiing at the age of 24, succeeding Courchevel skier Alexis Pinturault.
Speed Boss Kilde
On the unpublished track of the eclipse, created especially for the Worlds scheduled for 2023, the suspense was much more present for the attribution of the small globe of the men’s downhill. He returns for 13 points to Aleksander Kilde, 4th in the descent. The Norwegian deprives the quadruple defending champion and Swiss Olympic champion Beat Feuz of a fifth consecutive coronation. Already assured of the small globe in super-G, Kilde imposes himself as this season as the boss of speed.
The only Frenchman qualified for the downhill final, the Olympic vice-champion skier from Tignes John Clarey finished 17th in the day’s race and 9th overall for the season.
– Nicolas Peronnet
Goggia sees double
In the process, it was Sofia Goggia who won the small globe of women’s downhill. Despite a 12th place, the Italian wins the general classification for the second consecutive season thanks to the poor performance of her rival, the Swiss Corinne Suter. By winning the downhill, the American Mikaela Schiffrin consolidates her lead in the general classification and takes a big step towards the big globe, a month after his failed Olympic Games.
Only French engaged, the skier of Flaine Romane Miradoli takes 8th place in the downhill, 11 days after his first victory in the World Cup on the super-G of Lenzerheide in Switzerland.
Super-G on the program Thursday
The Courchevel eclipse track will be the scene of two new races on Thursday, the men’s super-G (10 a.m.) then women’s (11:30 a.m.). No suspense this time for the attribution of the globesalready promised to Norwegian Aleksander Kilde and Italian Federica Brignone.
Six French people will be in the starting gate, Alexis Pinturault (Courchevel), Blaise Giezendanner (Chamonix), Mathieu Bailet (Nice), Tessa Worley (Le Grand-Bornand), Romane Miradoli (Flaine) and Laura Gauché (Tignes).