Sun Valley (United States) (AFP) – Federica Brignone won the alpine skiing World Cup overall title for the second time when the season-ending downhills in Sun Valley, Idaho, were called off on Saturday because of snow and wind. The cancellation of the men’s race allowed Marco Odermatt to add the discipline globe to his overall title, as well as Super-G and giant slalom titles. Last season, Brignone finished second in the overall, slalom, and giant slalom standings.
“I just wanted to get better,” she said on Saturday. “But to win the World Cup was just something really unexpected. And this is just amazing. I mean, the season has been crazy.” Snowfalls overnight and in the morning at the Idaho resort forced organisers to postpone the start of racing at the World Cup Finals. Staff worked to clear the piste, but rising winds then ruled out racing.
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“This is our sport,” said Brignone. “Alpine skiing is an outdoor sport. And sometimes you don’t race.” She added, “I wanted really to race, even if it’s strange.” Brignone holds a 382-point advantage over Lara Gut-Behrami in the overall standings. With a maximum of three races now remaining, the 34-year-old Italian has an unassailable lead that seals her second large crystal globe as overall World Cup winner after her 2020 triumph.
Additionally, she also claimed the small downhill globe for the first time in her career, ending the season 16 points ahead of Austria’s Cornelia Huetter and 34 ahead of Italian compatriot Sofia Goggia. The 34-year-old Brignone, who won the giant slalom world title in February, has already clinched the giant slalom World Cup globe and holds a five-point lead over Gut-Behrami in the super-G ahead of Sunday’s scheduled final race.
In the men’s category, Saturday’s cancellation meant the 27-year-old Odermatt won the downhill competition by 83 points from Swiss compatriot Franjo von Allmen. “Winning a globe is always something special,” said Odermatt. “Winning a downhill globe is the biggest of the little globes.” Odermatt also collected four globes last season. “I don’t know what the globes record is, but I’m happy to have lots of them,” he remarked. Another Swiss, Alexis Monney, completed the downhill top three.
“It’s hard to explain our domination,” said Odermatt. “If you have a flow in the team, everything is easier for everyone.” The finals continue on Sunday with the women’s and men’s super-G, before the shorter slalom events from Tuesday to Thursday.
© 2024 AFP
