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The right moment to shine

Sebastian Foss-Solevaag went from maiden victory in Flachau to World Champion all in one month. The Norwegian’s chose the right moment to shine at Cortina’s Druscié slope.

Photo credits: Solo Nieve & Nevasport.com

By Daphne Seberich

All good things eventually come to an end. The Men’s Slalom event was the grand finale of the Cortina D’Ampezzo 2021 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships. The Italian scenery that hosted the biannual FIS Alpine World Ski Championships has been framed by unparalleled beauty and colored in by some of the most spectacular performances seen in ages, from both the favorites and the underdogs. But it will also be remembered for the two weeks in which the rule book was poured over and read by more people than in the history of the sport.

Knowing that the snow on the course was at its limit, FIS already announced the night before the race that instead of the Top-30 starting in reverse order for the second run, it would be limited to the Top-15. The move set up a dramatic first run as the racers aimed to be in the all-important and exclusive Top-15. It also set up a dramatic second run, with everyone within one second of each other in the fight for the gold medal.

Sebastian Foss-Solevaag caught the right opportunity to be in peak performance. The Norwegian scored his second-ever career win in Cortina, after his maiden win in Flachau one month ago.

Video rights: SRF and Infront Sports & Media AG

“It’s a dream, two golds in Cortina. That’s incredible,” Foss-Solevaag said, “We had too many crashes, too many injuries,”. “With a small team, we have two gold medals, that’s very good.”

The Norwegian Ski team was missing Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Adrian Smiseth Sejersted, Lucas Braathen and Atle Lie McGrath, all due to knee injuries, which mainly affected its chances in the speed events and the giant slalom.

“It’s amazing to finish off like this,” Foss-Solevaag said, “I knew the two guys in front could also put it together, but I fought from the start to the bottom and I did it.”

Completing the podium was the surprise leader of the first run, Austrian Adrian Pertl in second place. Norwegian teammate Henrik Kristoffersen ended his leg in third. Austria had won five of the six slalom medals at the last two WSC’s, both times with retired standout Marcel Hirscher taking the gold. Pertl came close to continuing the streak.

Photo credits: DiscoveryAlps & Freenewstoday

With bib number one, Alexis Pinturault set the bar for the other competitors with a time of 52.65. Sebastian Foss-Solevaag, the second one to descend the Cortina slope, beat the Frenchman’s fastest time by 2 tenths of a second. The winner of the first Slalom of the season in Alta Badia, Ramon Zenhäusern, crossed the finish line with a 1.49 disadvantage over the provisional leader.

The winner of the latest slalom race in Chamonix, Henrik Kristoffersen, started well with a green intermediate in the first part of the track. Unfortunately, he couldn’t capitalize on the advantage he built and finished his run in second place. Chamonix race winner Clément Noël came close to dethroning Foss-Solevaag, but it wasn’t quite enough for the leadership of the race. He closed in second place.

On-off red bib wearer Manuel Feller had a disappointing performance. 1.62 seconds separated the Austrian and the provisional leader. Marco Schwarz, the favorite to take the gold medal in the race, set two green intermediates but crossed the finish line with 51 hundredths of a second delay. The biggest surprise was Adrian Pertl, who continuously increased his advantage over Foss-Solevaag. Incredulous, he managed to dethrone the leader of the race.

Youngster Loïc Meillard had high hopes for earning a medal but his run was cut short by missing a gate in the second half of the track. Victor Muffat-Jeandet straddled one of the gates, terminating all hopes for a positive result. Brit Dave Ryding was the third athlete in a row to end his attempt prematurely.

Zagreb Slalom winner Linus Straßer never attempted to tackle Pertl in first place. Crossing the line 1.71 seconds behind the leader still granted him the tenth position. Croatian ski star Filip Zubcic, who won a silver medal in the Parallel discipline in Cortina, crossed the finish line two seconds behind the leader.

The biggest surprise of the first run was Alex Vinatzer. After not scoring any points for five races in a row, the South Tyrolean blew it out of the park performing when it mattered. Throughout his run he managed to stay close to Pertl’s time, ending in second place.

Photo credits: Alexis Boichard for Agence Zoom & Getty Images

Kristoffer Jakobsen’s run seemed to not be enough for a top position, building up his delay throughout his performance. Incredibly, he caught up his gap and crossed 18 hundredths of a second behind Pertl in fourth.

Stefano Gross was having the best run of his season, setting green intermediates section by section. Unfortunately, his outstanding performance didn’t convert into a good placement, as he straddled one of the gates. Maybe he could’ve taken over the leadership if he finalized his run.

Due to concerns regarding the high temperatures in Cortina, FIS decided to invert only the Top-15 instead of the regular 30. To start the second leg was Luke Winters, who unfortunately straddled a gate and DNF’d. The first to complete his run was Istok Rodes from Croatia, setting the bar for the other competitors. Mario Matt seemed to have a good rhythm for the course set by his trainer Marco Pfeiffer. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to earn the provisional leadership.

Slovenian Stefan Hadalin set fastest the fastest time intermediate by intermediate but only crossed the finish line in second place. Daniel Yule did what he had to do and secured the provisional lead 14 hundredths of a second ahead of Rodes.

Shockingly, the favorite to take the win Marco Schwarz straddled a gate and ended his run in a DNF. His performance until that point was impressive, increasing his advantage over Yule intermediate by intermediate. Unfortunately, he couldn’t capitalize and earn a medal.

Alexis Pinturault seemed not to have what it takes to overcome the provisional leader, setting his time 28 hundredths behind Yule in third place. However, who managed to dethrone the provisional leader was Henrik Kristoffersen crossing the finish line 76 hundredths ahead of the Swiss.

Kristoffer Jakobsen, who was looking for the first career podium in Slalom, straddled a gate, cutting his run short. An unfortunate mishap. Sebastian Foss-Solevaag kept his 22 hundredths of a second advantage over Kristoffersen and even increased it in the second half of the track, crossing the finish line 46 hundredths of a second ahead of teammate Kristoffersen.

Italy held their breath for the time Alex Vinatzer skied. At every intermediate he had more insecurities, making little mistakes over and over. His times became red and worsened until he crossed the finish line 1.2 seconds behind Foss-Solevaag in third place.

The leader of the first leg Adrian Pertl was happy to score a silver medal, consolidating the podium with Foss-Solevaag winning gold and Kristoffersen bronze.

With the final Slalom race, the 2021 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships came to an end. Thanks to Pertl’s victory today, Austria came away as the most successful nation in the medal table with five gold medals, one silver and two bronze. The Swiss finished second in the medal hunt with three golds, one silver and five bronze medals. Now the World Cup returns to center stage with the next stop in Bansko (Bulgaria) this upcoming weekend.

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The weekend of firsts: Manuel Feller and Sebastian Foss-Solevaag’s dream races in Flachau

Manuel Feller on Saturday and Sebastian Foss-Solevaag on Sunday managed to fulfill their childhood dreams by winning their first FIS Alpine Ski World Cup races held in the unconventional town of Flachau.

Photo credits: Getty Images, Olympic Channel & FIS

By Daphne Seberich

A first for Flachau and a first for Feller and Foss-Solevaag: two different first-time race winners and the first Men’s races taken place in the Salzburg area. After the announcement of the cancelation of the Wengen competitions, FIS first decided to organize the postponed events on the Streif before settling for the slope that just had held the Women’s Slalom contest.

The last-minute Slalom events held in the Austrian town, a destination well known for its Women’s World Cup Slalom race, showcased the diversity and competitiveness of this year’s Crystal Globe contenders. Since the before-Hirscher-era, there hadn’t been such an undecided race to the title.

After Marco Schwarz’s win in Adelboden, Manuel Feller was deprived of the red bib after only one race, having straddled one of the gates in the first run. Only one point separated the two Austrians, the favorites to clinch the Slalom title.

He then bounced back in Flachau’s first race, earning the victory and regaining the scarlet bib he deserved. Clément Noël and Marco Schwarz completed the podium, respectively being 43 and 70 hundredths of a second behind the leader.

Feller ranked third after the first run, only being 0.25 seconds off the pace as, for the third time this season, Clément Noël was the top racer qualifying for the Top-30. Laying down the fastest time in the second run, Feller jumped into first place and held onto victory.

Today’s second-place finish was the first podium for the Frenchman this season. It was still a frustrating result, as he continued to deliver the best performance in the first run but loses out on a better ranking after his second run.

Adelboden-winner Marco Schwarz held onto the podium position, only missing out on a trophy at Madonna di Campiglio’s night race this season. It was the 12th career podium for the Austrian.

Feller was always close to the victory this season, earning two second-place finishes in Alta Badia and Zagreb. In total, it was the sixth career Slalom podium for the 28-year-old.

Photo credits: Eurosport & Mundo Deportivo

Sunday’s race was a good pick-me-up for the Norwegian ski team. Lucas Braathen and Atle Lie McGrath’s injuries handicapped the Scandinavians substantially for the Nations Cup race against Austria and Switzerland. Their star skier and last year’s Overall standings winner Aleksander Aamodt Kilde announced his retirement from this year’s title contention as well, suffering a knee injury during a training session for next week’s race in Kitzbühel.

It took 86 World Cup starts, but in the end, he finally got his maiden victory. Norwegian Sebastian Foss-Solevaag dominated the slope in Sunday’s Slalom in Flachau to claim his first career win.

Foss-Solevaag debuted in Levi’s 2012 World Cup event and had four podiums under his belt before his life-changing placement in Austria. The 29-year-old always fell short of victory, but the second Slalom race in Flachau was a clear statement, earning a crushing 0.76 triumph over Austrian Marco Schwarz. Sebastian Foss-Solevaag is finally a race winner.

Schwarz is on a roll of his own, having earned a podium in each of the last three races, including his recent second-place finish on home soil. He is now leading the Slalom standings by 65 points ahead of Feller.

Alexis Pinturault brought home his first top-three finish in a Slalom this season, being 0.95 off the winning pace.

Sebastian Foss-Solevaag skied nearly flawlessly in both runs, setting the fastest time at both attempts down the hill. After the first run, he sat at the top of the standings with Austrian trio Fabio Gstrein, Manuel Feller and Marco Schwarz right on his heels. Only Schwarz managed to capitalize on his strong first run position. Manuel Feller and Fabio Gstrein had no chance to make it into the top ten in the second run.

Photo credits: Tiroler Tageszeitung, Neveitalia & Rai Sport

Austria’s loss was Switzerland’s gain as Loïc Meillard and Luca Aerni respectively finished fourth and sixth. Although the season is only half over, the two countries find themselves already going head-to-head for the Nations Cup, with the Swiss currently holding a 604-point lead.

Leading a ranking is Alexis Pinturault, who, after his back-to-back Giant Slalom wins in Adelboden, clinched the top spot of the Overall standings, with a 218-point lead over injured Kilde. The odds for the big Crystal Globe victory are in his favor.

Photo credits: Alexis Boichard for Agence Zoom

After an extremely busy two weeks, the Slalom racers can now catch their breath until their next event on January 26th in Schladming. Until then, the speed teams will steal the spotlight in Kitzbühel where the famous Streif races are held next weekend.

Linus Straßer’s emotional first Slalom win in Zagreb

Linus Straßer conquers Zagreb’s slope and wins for the first time a Slalom race in his career. The Austrian duo Feller-Schwarz is back on the podium after the Gran Risa challenge, with the first one of the two earning the red bib as provisional Slalom standings leader.

Photo credits: insidethegames.biz & Olympic Channel

By Daphne Seberich

Linus Straßer wins at the tricky Zagreb slope for the first time in his career. The Munich native gets the Snow Queen Trophy after an incredible second run, beating the Slalom specialists Pinturault and Kristoffersen as well as provisional leader Clément Noël. Straßer ends a three-year success drought in Slalom for Germany, stepping into Felix Neureuther’s footsteps after his last win in Levi in 2017.

“I got a little bit emotional. I don’t really realize it”, Straßer said Wednesday after triumphing in the first men’s race of 2021.

Photo credits: Christophe Pallot (Agence Zoom/Getty Images)

The Austrian duo Manuel Feller-Marco Schwarz is back on the podium after a mediocre race in Madonna di Campiglio, earning Feller the red bib for the next race in Adelboden.

“This is one of the highlights of my career, I always wanted to have one,” Feller said. “It’s hard to believe for now.”

Starting as 8th after the first run, Straßer adapted the best to the tough Zagreb conditions, where the grass was peaking through the snow, recovering seven positions. He was not the MVP though, as Michael Matt went from 26th place all the way to fourth, just missing out on a podium by 30 hundredths of a second. It would’ve been one of the most incredible recoveries to date.

The slope was best suited for racers used to skiing in fresh, spring-ish powder, with not much grip and speed. Croatian skiers, trained by no other than Slalom legend Ivica Kostelić, seemed to adapt the best, all of them making it into the Top-30. No other team managed to place all their athletes in the second run.

The first athlete on Zagreb’s slope was Madonna di Campiglio winner Henrik Kristoffersen. He never quite got into the rhythm of the track set by Italian trainer Jacques Theolier, only finishing 11th after the first run.

Pinturault, Yule and Zenhäusern (Alta Badia Slalom winner) failed to deliver as well, only placing 7th, 12th and 14th in the first run. The times were abysmally apart from the leader. Being 92 hundredths of a second slower than the leader was the best time set by the three.

Photo credits: Teller Report, China Daily & Le Nouvelliste Switzerland

The athletes that adapted the best to conditions and course in the first half of the race were Clément Noël (last year’s winner of the Snow Queen trophy), Sebastian Foss-Solevaag and the Austrian duo Feller-Schwarz. They were the provisional Top-4 of the first run.

The surprises of the morning were undoubtedly Filip Zubcic and Stefan Hadalin, who never placed better in Slalom (10th and 5th in the first run). Even though Zubcic made numerous mistakes in his run, the Croatian skier was only one second off the best time set by Noël.

Zagreb was a big disappointment for the Italian ski team. 3rd place winner at the 3Tre and last year’s Zagreb’s 2nd runner-up Alex Vinatzer did not finish his run, straddling one of the gates in the middle section of his run. Mölgg and Gross did not qualify in the Top-30. Razzoli and Sala only settled for 27th and 28th place.

Many athletes with high bib numbers made it into the second run. Atle Lie McGrath, the runner-up of the Gran Risa Giant Slalom, started 15th with bib number 44. Taking risks didn’t pay off for him, losing three positions from the first run.

Michael Matt was the MVP of the second run, beating skiers that had an enormous time advantage against him and recovering from 26th place all the way to fourth. No one managed to beat him, not even Jakobsen, who is the king of resumption. With a 1:05 second bonus to Matt, the Swede fell at the steep part of the slope. Not giving up, he finished his run to collect points.

Zubcic barely missed out on a provisional first place by one-hundredth of a second, yet scoring his best Slalom placement ever, finishing the race in fifth position.

Only Straßer managed to set a competitive time to beat the resilient Michael Matt, albeit losing over eight-tenths of advantage to the Austrian.

Marco Schwarz doubled his bonus against Straßer in the first half of the slope but lost 16 hundredths at the finish line, earning provisional second with only three athletes to go.

Teammate Manuel Feller proved to be extremely consistent this season by never finishing out of the Top-4. During his run he risked everything to try to gain a significant advantage to win the Snow Queen race. Ten-hundredths of a second off the pace didn’t grant him the crown.

Sebastian Foss-Solevaag and Clément Noël’s performances were not on their competitor’s level . Even though they had an enormous advantage over Straßer to start the race, both fell back the ranking list, losing out on a podium opportunity.

An emotional Linus Straßer had the edge over the other skiers, with the Austrian duo Manuel Feller and Marco Schwarz to complete the podium.

Straßer regretted that the race on the outskirts of the Croatian capital took place without fans, as almost all World Cup events over the last year.

“Normally we have a big crowd here cheering for us and now it’s just us, just the small skiing family,” Straßer said. “It’s mixed feelings but I am really happy for winning my first special Slalom event. Not having the fans next to us is weird but, still, the emotions in me are hyped up.”

The next race in Adelboden will be key for the 2020/2021 Slalom standings as well as for the Overall ranking, where Pinturault is just ahead of Kilde. Who will earn the discipline’s Crystal Globe?

Pinturalts steps out from Tomba’s shadow

The French Alpine Skiing superstar conquers for the first time the Gran Risa and ties with Alberto Tomba for the most wins in the Alpine Ski World Cup Giant Slalom discipline.

Alexis Pinturault & Alberto Tomba – photo credits: Daphne Seberich for Ready Set Sport

Complete photo gallery here

By Daphne Seberich

The Gran Risa: one, if not, the most famous and spectacular Giant Slalom race of the Alpine Ski Men’s World Cup. An incredible steepness and technical challenges are characteristics that make the athletes look forward to this race. Whoever has conquered the icy snow track of the Italian mountain in the past is considered as one of the greatest of all time.

Alta Badia – photo credits: Daphne Seberich for Ready Set Sport

Marcel Hirscher (six wins, six GS World Cup and eight Overall World Cup championships), Alberto Tomba (four race wins and GS World Cup and one Overall World Cup championship) and Ingemar Stenmark (one win, seven GS World Cup and three Overall World Cup championships), legends of Alpine Skiing, have all won the race held in Alta Badia. It led to Tomba and Hirscher winning the Crystal Globe of the Giant Slalom discipline respectively four and five times during the season they triumphed at the Gran Risa. Could this be the year Pinturault finally wins the Overall World Cup trophy he, by the skin of one’s teeth, lost to Aleksander Aamodt Kilde the past season?

Alberto Tomba – photo credits: Daphne Seberich for Ready Set Sport

Nobody managed to do better than the 29-year-old Frenchman (2’27’’19), the leader at the end of the first run. Top-athletes like Kranjec (sixth after the first run), Zubcic (second after the first run) and Odermatt (GS World Cup current leader, third after the first run) set very competitive times as well, putting pressure on the leader starting last in the second run.

A big surprise of the morning session was 20-year-old Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath, who, after starting with bib number 29, qualified for the second run in fourth place.

Atle Lie McGrath – photo credits: Daphne Seberich for Ready Set Sport

The Italian Ski Team could not have done worse on home soil. The best-ranked and favorite of the ‘Azzurri’ Luca De Aliprandini missed the gates right at the start of his first run, resulting in a DNF. Many other Italian athletes did not complete the course as well. Riccardo Tonetti, a Bolzano native, ended up to be the only ‘Azzurro’ to manage to qualify for the second run.

Hannes Zingerle, born and raised in Alta Badia, suffered from an incident in the end zone, missing out on a potential spot in the Top-30. During his interview with Ready Set Sport, he explained how the fall happened and how mistakes affect him mentally in preparation for the next races.

Video rights: Daphne Seberich for Ready Set Sport

“Just before the finish line, I hit a snow wave being too far in a backward lean. That put me out of balance. Making it to the end was just impossible”, said Zingerle, “At the moment, things are not going as I’d wish they were”.

Answering the question regarding his psychological state, Zingerle explained how being a professional implies psychological preparation and failures are to be expected and dealt with accordingly. “I mean, it is normal that some races are not going as you wished for, but you still have to fight through those moments”, says Zingerle. “With training, patience and a lot of hard work you get back on track.”

Filip Zubcic answered some questions as well ahead of the second run. After winning the Giant Slalom race in Santa Caterina Valfurva on the 5th of December and placing third at the one on the 7th, he explained what his expectations at the Gran Risa were. He is undoubtedly one of the favorites to win the Giant Slalom Crystal Globe this season as well as a contender for the Overall championship.

Video rights: Daphne Seberich for Ready Set Sport

Zubcic commented on the conditions of the slope as well: “The terrain is really tricky, it’s difficult to find the rhythm and because the terrain is changing a lot the snow is not so easy”.

At the start of the second run, the only qualified Italian skier Riccardo Tonetti set the fastest time and kept the leadership of the race until German Alexander Schmidt managed to beat the ‘Azzurro’. The ‘Bolzanino’ ended up ranking eleventh.

In an interview with RAI Ladinia, Tonetti expressed his feelings about his performance and his physical shape, having just recovered from a bone fracture in his hand. He was very pleased by his result, but not from the overall level his teammates at FISI (Federazione Italiana Sport Invernali) displayed. The public at the Gran Risa traditionally played a big factor for him and he felt that the passion of fans was missing at the most special Giant Slalom race of the season.

Swiss skier Justin Murisier was the provisional leader when Norwegian sensation McGrath, who, even though, made a substantial mistake in his run, incredibly set the fastest time, putting him at the top of the ranking with only three athletes to go.

Filip Zubcic, who had high expectations before the second run, only managed to finish 9th ahead of the last remaining skier Alexis Pinturault.

Pinturault didn’t have the best run, but it was good enough to secure him the race win ahead of McGrath for only 0.07 seconds.

The winner of the 2020 Alta Badia Giant Slalom event said: “This year I was always close to the podium in the giant slalom, but I did not manage to take the podium for a matter of hundredths. McGrath did an incredible race already in the first run, given his bib number, and he pushed even more in the second run. It wasn’t easy, but I did everything I could to be ahead, and I made it. It was great to win in front of Alberto Tomba and to know that I reached his record number of giant slalom victories: I am so proud of this achievement because it brings me closer to a legend like him. I think that the organizers did a great job in grooming and preparing the slope today, and this is evidenced by the fact that many athletes with a high bib number managed to finish the first run in the top 30 positions. The slope was really good also in the second run’’.

Alexis Pinturault – photo credits: Daphne Seberich for Ready Set Sport

McGrath was very excited about getting on the podium for the first time in his career and commented on his second place: “Never before have I been as speechless as I am today after the race. At the start, I thought that I only wanted to enjoy myself, also because it was the first time that I could do the entire slope of the Gran Risa since last year we had to start from lower down due to the weather. I really enjoyed it. And if you enjoy what you are doing, it is easier. With my first podium, I caught up with my dad, who took second place in a World Cup Slalom (Aare 1988). Now I want to edge him out”.

The podium was completed by the Swiss Justin Murisier (third, 0.24 seconds behind), who showed up at the press conference wearing a mask with a picture of his smile: “In a period like this, I am happy to bring some joy and smiles because we must hope for better times. Getting on my first podium here is fantastic. I can’t find the right words to describe what I feel. I have been racing in the World Cup since 2010 and I have had to get over so many injuries, including four to my right knee. I am convinced that this slope loves me because I was fourth here in 2017. Anyway, it’s mutual love. I adore it”.

Podium – photo credits: Daphne Seberich for Ready Set Sport

The athletes have a long season ahead. Who will prevail?

Overall standings 20/12/20 – photo credits: Daphne Seberich for Ready Set Sport

Alta Badia FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Giant Slalom 2020

The Gran Risa race, held in Alta Badia (Italy), is one, if not, the most exciting and toughest Giant Slalom race of the whole FIS Alpine Ski World Cup championship. Over 60 athletes compete to make it in the Top-30 and qualify for the second run, where championship points are awarded. Frenchman Alexis Pinturault won for the first time the race held in Alta Badia and managed to tie with legend Alberto Tomba for the most Giant Slalom races won in their careers.

Read the complete article here

Pictures by Daphne Seberich for Ready Set Sport