From Wednesday until Sunday, let’s go for the Alpine Skiing World Cup Finals ! They take place in France this year, in Courchevel and Méribel, two Savoyard resorts. From March 16 to 20, the top 25 athletes in each discipline will compete in nine events (see the full program at the bottom of the article). Many globes* remain to be distributed and the suspense remains for the classifications, in particular in men’s and women’s downhill, the first two races of these finals.
Women’s Downhill Globe
The duel will be between the defending champion, the Italian and Olympic downhill vice-champion Sofia Goggia and the Swiss Olympic champion, Corinne Suter. The first with a 75-point lead in the standings. To get ahead of her, Suter must win (100 points) and hope Goggia finishes 11th at best, or take 2nd place and hope Goggia finishes 16th at best. If the Italian dominated everything at the start of the season (three wins in three races), she fell in Austria and then missed a race because of a sprained knee at the end of January. This downhill final is therefore not yet written…
Men’s Downhill Globe
Four skiers can still claim the trophy: the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, already assured of the super-G globe, has a 23-point lead over the four-time Swiss title holder Beat Feuz, 84 over the Austrian Matthias Mayer and 88 over the ‘Italian Dominik Paris. If he finishes in the top two, or if he does better than the others, Kilde is sure to win the classification. But on skis, especially downhill, anything is possible!
big globe women
the most interesting female ski duel in recent years will take place in Courchevel and Méribel: American Mikaela Shiffrin, grand champion with three big globes (from 2017 to 2019) will against the Slovak Petra Vlhova, defending champion. With a 56-point lead, Shiffrin starts as the favorite one month after the failed Olympics (zero medals). But their duel will keep us in suspense until the last day of these finals. The general classification will not be played after the descent (the first event and the “weakest” discipline of the two champions), since there will remain three races afterwards: super-G, slalom, giant.
big globe men
Less suspense on the men’s side since the Swiss Marco Odermatt knows he will win the trophy this week, but he does not yet know when. With 329 points ahead (the victory is worth 100 points) over the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, “it’s a lighter week” which is announced recognized the Swiss this Tuesday. It must be said that he had an absolutely magnificent season with thirteen podiums, including six victories in three disciplines (downhill, super-G, giant).
Our French and local stopover in CourchevelAlexis Pinturault, crowned world No.1 a year ago, has just gone through the worst winter of his career, his first without a win, barring a final bang at home?
“I don’t forget where I am, I don’t expect miracles. But it makes my heart feel better to be able to run at home”he breathed, he who returned empty-handed from the Beijing Games, a season that exhausted him physically and mentally.
The Courchevel skier will have a few months to recharge his batteries and try to find the flame before the Worlds disputed in February 2023, in Courchevel and Méribel a new time.
Program for the finals of the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Courchevel and Méribel:
- Wednesday March 16, in Courchevel : men’s descent at 10:00 a.m., women’s descent at 11:30 a.m.
- Thursday March 17, in Courchevel : women’s super-G at 10:00 a.m., men’s super-G at 11:30 a.m.
- Friday March 18, in Méribel : mixed team parallel at 12:00 p.m.
- Saturday March 19, in Méribel : men’s giant, 1st run at 9:00 a.m., 2nd run at 12:00 p.m., women’s slalom, 1st run at 10:30 a.m., 2nd run at 1:30 p.m.
- Sunday March 20, in Méribel : women’s giant, 1st run at 9:00 a.m., 2nd run at 12:00 p.m., men’s slalom, 1st run at 10:30 a.m., 2nd run at 1:30 p.m.
*The crystal globes are sporting rewards awarded, in winter sports (alpine skiing but also cross-country skiing, ski suat etc…), at each World Cup season. The Alpine Skiing World Cup running every year, throughout the season, unlike the World Ski Championships, which are contested in odd years only and which rewards skiers on a single event.