Franceinfo: sport tells you about its fortnight in Courchevel and Méribel.
Twelve races, 36 medals and kilos of Reblochon ingested in a little less than two weeks: Courchevel and Méribel were transformed during these two Savoyard weeks into a veritable temple of world skiing. And as at the mulled wine stand, there were some very nice surprises and some disappointments. Fortunately, the aftertaste is not so unpleasant when it comes to taking off your skis. Franceinfo: sport takes stock of this colorful fortnight.
We liked:
The atmosphere in good shape
“We paid a lot to have this weather.” Crossed at the bottom of the Eclipse, Michel Vion, the French president of the FIS, had something to smile about: for two weeks, the sun flooded Méribel and Courchevel, for Worlds without fresh snow, but with lots of sunscreen. This undoubtedly contributed to the good general atmosphere around the events. If the Swiss and Austrian regulars were there, we will also remember the French public, who responded present and gave voice (150,000 spectators over the fortnight). Stalling the French holidays (zone A) on these Worlds, with shuttles from all over the region, has paid off. Special mention for the fans clubs of Alexis Pinturault and Tessa Worley.
/2023/02/19/63f2381e81a0f_img-5273.jpeg)
The rebirth of Alexis Pinturault
The story was too good. Alexis Pinturault had checked this fortnight so special for him for more than a year. “That’s the big goal of my winter,” he had confided to us at the dawn of this season. And if the Savoyard, in difficulty on the circuit for almost two years, had not raised his arms on a finish area since the 2021 finals in Lenzerheide, the child of Courchevel became again, in the space of two days, the “Beast of Moutiers”.
Carried by a white-hot public and transcended by the presence of all his relatives, Alexis Pinturault first offered himself a second world title in alpine combined, after that of 2019 in Are. More relaxed than ever, and relieved of some pressure, he won a superb bronze medal in the super-G 48 hours later. An almost unexpected performance that obviously convinced him to take a new turn for the end of his career: speed.
Canadian Surprises
In alpine skiing, we are used to seeing the red and white flags flying at the top of the podiums with Austria and Switzerland. But these Courchevel-Méribel Worlds were marked by the strong comeback of the Canadians. In the men’s super-G, promised to Marco Odermatt or Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, James Crawford went for gold. In women’s slalom, it was Laurence Saint-Germain, no career top 5 so far, who beat the huge favorite Mikaela Shiffrin on the post. The icing on the cake, the unexpected Cameron Alexander won bronze on the downhill, behind the giants Kilde and Odermatt. Canada finished fifth in the medals table, and by far first in the upsets.
The medal-winning Haaser family
It’s a story that went a little unnoticed, eclipsed by the world title of Alexis Pinturault in combined, in his station. But the same day, the Austrian Raphael Haaser also climbed on the podium, snagging the bronze medal in the combined, his third world charm after those of bronze (downhill) and silver (super-G) of 2019. By pocketing this bronze, the 25-year-old Austrian thus obtained the same medal as his older sister, Ricarda Haaser, the day before. Indeed, the 29-year-old Austrian, no career win, was the surprise guest on the women’s combined podium the day before.
We liked less:
The missed goodbyes of Tessa Worley and Johan Clarey
“I crossed the finish line with a broken heart.” For her last worlds, Tessa Worley hoped for better. Especially since at the end of the giant’s first round, “La Puce du Grand-Bornand” was only beaten by the American queen, Mikaela Shffrin. Before setting off for the second run, she therefore hoped “share beautiful emotions” with his family and his great fan club who came in large numbers to the stands facing the Roc de Fer. But a terrible interior fault in the final wall brutally put an end to all his hopes, cooling at the same time the 8,000 supporters present and largely committed to his cause.
/2023/02/16/63ee636ac1ab5_epalivesix678996.jpg)
For Johan Clarey, the scenario will have been much less cruel. The grandfather of the circuit, at 42, is living his last season and also hoped to offer the French public one last great emotion. Unfortunately, during the downhill won by the Swiss genius Marco Odermatt, the Tignard was never able to compete with the fastest, finishing 23rd. “Inevitably, there is disappointment, but a little relief toohe admitted at the end of the race. It’s hard. I’ve been pulling the machine for a long time and it’s starting to pull the fuck up, the machine A hell of a machine that will be able to retire peacefully in just over a month at the end of an incredible career that began in November 2003…
The flop of the fan zone
A deserted fan zone. Everything was there, however: hotels full of accredited, far more attractive prices than in the resort, good products, and music. Despite all this, the Brides-les-Bains fan zone was shunned by the public. However, the “spritz des Alpes” had serious advantages, as did the Savoyard gastronomy served in the heart of the spa park. The DJs were also up to the job, most often, not to mention the “cacuzzi”, this jacuzzi disguised as a fondue pot. Everything was in place to extend the Courchevel-Méribel Worlds celebration just below, in the valley, where many go down at sunset. All that was missing was the crowd.
/2023/02/19/63f239141d683_img-3374.jpg)
The false start of the organization
During the first week, the organizers were overwhelmed by their shuttle system set up especially for the transfer of accredited persons (organizers, volunteers, technicians or journalists) between Brides-les-Bains, Courchevel and Méribel. “There was a little run-in at the beginning”, has also minimized the general manager of Courchevel-Méribel 2023, Perrine Pelen. Even if the problem was solved for the second week, between the fiasco of the shuttles, the relocation of the press points in the neighboring station and the “Medal Plazza” installed exclusively at the bottom of the Roc de Fer in Méribel, it was sometimes necessary to show imagination to reach the two stations serenely.