Four balls within reach
Gut-Behrami is on the verge of a great triumph, Shiffrin on the verge of a comeback
March 9, 2024, 6:00 p.m
Lara Gut-Behrami is making the most of ski superstar Mikaela Shiffrin’s long absence: The Swiss can win almost everything there is to win in World Cups this winter.
Ski racer Lara Gut-Behrami is on the verge of an overwhelming triumph in the Alpine World Cup. After her third place in the giant slalom in Are, Sweden, the Swiss goes into the final race in this discipline with a lead of 95 points at the final next Saturday in Saalbach-Hinterglemm. Gut-Behrami also confidently leads the overall World Cup as well as the discipline rankings in the downhill and super-G.
In Are, Gut-Behrami was 0.40 seconds behind Federica Brignone from Italy, before whom she still leads the giant slalom rankings. Even a 15th place in the last race is enough to win the small crystal ball. Because the Swede Sara Hector moved into second place, 0.07 seconds ahead of the World Cup dominator, Brignone still has a mathematical chance – but only if she wins in the final and Gut-Behrami gets a zero.
Shiffrin makes a comeback
In one of her rare starts in a giant slalom, Lena Dürr finished 24th, achieving her best result in this discipline in four years. After a four-week break from competition, the Munich native’s main focus is on the slalom on Sunday, where superstar Mikaela Shiffrin will also make her comeback in the World Cup after a seven-week injury break. Emma Aicher missed the final of the best 30 by 0.03 seconds.
Shiffrin injured his knee in Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 26th. Due to the forced break, she lost her chances of winning the overall and giant slalom World Cup. The 28-year-old, however, continues to confidently lead the slalom rankings.