The pedestal
- 1. Wendy Holdener 1:56.29 minutes
- 2. Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) +0.47s
- 3. Petra Vlhova (SVK) +0.70s
The victory in Killington seems to have given Wendy Holdener a boost. Two weeks after her premiere overseas, the 29-year-old doubled in the slalom in Sestriere. And this time she didn’t have to share the victory. Holdener is the first Swiss woman since Vreni Schneider in 1994 to win two slaloms in a row.
After the first run, Holdener was still behind Petra Vlhova. In the decision, however, it became apparent early on that the Slovak could not keep up with the unleashed Swiss. And neither with Mikaela Shiffrin. The American had set the best time ahead of Holdener and thus ousted Hanna Aronsson Elfman from the leader’s throne.
At the time of the 19-year-old Swede, the competitors had previously bitten their teeth in rows. With 4th place, she still achieved her best World Cup result by far, after having made up 12 places in the second run.
The other Swiss women
- 13. Aline Danioth +2.87s
- 16. Elena Stoffel +3.35 s
- 20. Nicole Good +3.68s
- 24. Michelle Gisin +3.86s
- Not qualified for the 2nd run: Camille Rast (32nd), Mélanie Meillard (33rd), Aline Höpli (36th), Lorina Zelger (OUT).
In addition to Holdener, 4 other Swiss women collected World Cup points in Piedmont, although not quite as many as the Schwyzer. While Camille Rast and Mélanie Meillard lost more than 3 seconds and missed the leap into the second round, Aline Danioth with starting number 28 rushed into the top 10. This is all the more remarkable because the slope had already suffered badly at that point.
In the end, Danioth was 13th and thus the best result of the season. Much more important to the native of Uri, however, is that she can take good memories with her from Sestriere. She tore two of her three cruciate ligaments here, most recently in 2020 in the parallel giant slalom.
Elena Stoffel and Nicole Good also managed to qualify for the second run with high starting numbers. Stoffel made up 10 places in the decision. Michelle Gisin, who is still looking for her slalom form, was also able to improve. As 29th of the first run, she only just made it into the second run.
Rank 20 shares equal 4
Good, from St. Gallen, achieved her second-best World Cup result with 20th place. The 24-year-old had to share this place with 3 other athletes: Clarisse Breche (FRA), Marie Lamure (FRA) and Vera Tschurtschenthaler (ITA). All of the quartet had high start numbers, with Good having the lowest number at 32. Breche wore the 58, her compatriot Lamure the 46.
Here’s how to proceed
The slalom specialists are only in focus again shortly before the turn of the year. From Friday, the stage will belong to the speed riders for the time being. At the home World Cup in St. Moritz, all eyes will be on the Swiss. Two descents and a Super-G are planned.
After the Christmas holidays, the World Cup will stop in Semmering, where two giant slaloms and one slalom will be held from December 27th.