Paris (AFP)

Federica Brignone receives the Alpine Ski World Cup stage at La Thuile at home in Valle d'Aosta, to widen the gap in the lead of the general and get closer to a first big crystal globe, unprecedented for the Italians .

Saturday's super-G and Sunday's combined, however, will take place "in the presence of a limited number of spectators", due to the epidemic of coronavirus which affects Italy (650 cases, 17 deaths among elderly and already suffering from serious pathologies).

According to the Italian Ministry of Health website dedicated to coronavirus, Valle d'Aosta is not one of the 13 administrative regions (out of 20) in Italy affected by the epidemic. But it is in front of a limited audience that Brignone will try to shine at home.

The 29-year-old Milanese woman, based in La Salle about 30 km from La Thuile, took command of the general classification of the Alpine Skiing World Cup last week, thanks to her victory in the Alpine combined at Crans Montana.

In Valle d'Aosta, the American Mikaela Shiffrin will once again be absent, bereaved by the death of her father Jeff (65) on February 3.

The triple champion of the big crystal globe has not participated in a World Cup race since January 26 and her victory at Bansko in super-G (she had granted herself a week of training instead of the races of Sochi end of January). His return to competition has not yet been determined.

In the fight for the general classification, Brignone can score important points for La Thuile, which has won the last four combined contests in the World Cup.

In this quest for a first big crystal globe, the main threat will once again come from the Slovakian Petra Vhlova who is 159 points behind Brignone (Shiffrin is 73 points).

A slalom specialist, Vhlova has straddled between the tight posts of the Crans Montana (Switzerland) combined and will want to take revenge on the Transalpine Sunday to maintain hope.

On Saturday, the Swiss Lara Gut will want to keep her good momentum: after two years without a win, she won the two downhill races of Crans Montana last week and finds La Thuile, where she took second place in the super-G in the last passage of the World Cup in Valle d'Aosta, four years ago in 2016.

Program

Saturday: super-G at 10.30 a.m. (09.33 GMT)

Sunday: alpine combined. Super-G at 11.15 a.m. (10.15 a.m. GMT), slalom at 2.15 p.m. (1.15 p.m. GMT)

© 2020 AFP