For the first time SuperGut in Cortina in superG

In the last of the four races on the Olimpia delle Tofane the young and talented Swiss hets the fifth seasonal World Cup success - Once again second Tina Weirather and Maria Riesch third on the podium - Excluded Verena Stuffer, fourth only 0.07 seconds behind

back to list

 

Date:	26/01/2014
Place:	Cortina d'Ampezzo

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, 26 GENNAIO 2014 – Cortina strikes again the poker of races of the World Cup, closing with the superG won by Lara Gut on the Olimpia delle Tofane. Four aces on the higher step of the podium and four champions of four different countries. Thursday the Austrian Lizz Goergl, Friday the German Maria Riesch, Saturday the Slovenian Tina Maze and today, at midday, the enfant prodige from Comano ( Lugano) who won when she was 17 in St. Moritz her first superG in a World Cup, and dislocated her hip in a training four years ago. “On this slope just the strongers win” said Deborah Compagnoni, sitting on the tribunes of Rumerlo together with one of her daughters, referring to the wonderful hill where she won the giant slalom in January 1997, a few weeks before conquering two more gold medals at Sestriere’s World Championships. So it was once again.

Before talking about the Swiss champion’s performance, superG leader, we need to remember that in these four days of races the real winner is Cortina. As between the applauses of the team coaches it was remarked that the number one Fis ladies’ responsible, the quiet Norwegian Atle Skardaal, at the end of the meeting in the Alexander Girardi Hall on Saturday: “I thank the whole organizing committee because it has really made a miracle. Putting together four races one after the other is not an easy task, and Cortina instead managed perfectly to succeed, showing that it can aim to more ambitious goals.” That would be organizing the 2019 World Championship for which it is bidding against Are, the Swedish resort that has already organized the World Championship in 2007.

Two hours before the start of the superG from the Schuss of Pomedes, a pale sun started shining between the clouds blown away by the wind, and Enrico Valle, Cortina’s World Cup and Cortina 2019 bidding committee president, let himself be relieved: “Done!”. So yes, he did a poker together with his amazing crew, and even if there was still a strong wind facing the athletes, it hasn’t been that violent to postpone or return the race.

Verena Stuffer, bib number three, went down even with the sun warming up the snow under her skis, and even she was tossed here and there by the wind, she played greatly a fast race flying on Rumerlo’s arrival with a time that was better that anyone else’s until, with bib number 18 Tina Weirather went faster: the 24 year-old from Liechtenstein that in this awesome season reached even ten podiums with just two successes, St. Moritz and Val d’Isère.

Not even today the famous daughter of Harti, first in the downhill of World Championship in Schaldming 1982, and of Hanni Wenzel, won two golden medals in the Olympic Games in Lake Placid 1980. Friday she was beat by Maria Riesch for 31/100 and today she lost superG of the Olimpia delle Tofane for 12/100. As how for 7/100 the surprising Verena Stuffer failed her carrier’s first podium, but with the fourth place in Cortina she took at the last moment the ticket to the Sochi Olympics, beginning in two weeks.