Kvitfjell (Norway) (AFP)

With the cancellation of the super-G in Kvitfjell (Norway) on Sunday, due to precipitation and fog, fate has given a major boost to the Frenchman Alexis Pinturault in his quest for the Grail of the skier, the big crystal globe.

The Norwegian general Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, leader of the general classification and big favorite of the race, had to take advantage of the super-G at home to widen the gap. He finally finds himself on a thread with 54 points ahead of the French.

The finals planned in Italy being canceled because of the epidemic of new coronavirus, there remain only two races this season: a giant then a slalom Saturday and Sunday in Kranjska Gora (Slovenia), favorable to Pinturault.

"It is a good thing for me, especially because I had the number 1 bib with the snow falling," said Pinturault, who had to start the race on Sunday, a disadvantage in the event of snowfall (the first " clears "the track for the following).

"We had all the conditions. Early this morning it was OK then the fog settled. At the bottom of the track it was more rain, which transformed the snow. The organizers could no longer evacuate and work the track. "

- "He remains a leader" -

A long trip to Scandinavia, waiting, training, preparation ... All for: zero points. The numbers may lie and Alexis Pinturault did not really miss his weekend. In the aftermath of an inconclusive descent (37th) in which he had started without great hope (only his 5th in career, the first in seven years), the cancellation of the super-G seems to tip the big crystal globe for his part, but he remains cautious.

"For me the big winner is Henrik Kristoffersen (3rd in the general classification), he lost zero points on Kilde and on me. I am the second winner of the day because the super-G is above all the strong discipline of Kilde, He remains a leader, I give him, as I always did yesterday, a 50% chance of winning (the general), 35% for me and 15% for Kristoffersen. "

For Henrik Kristoffersen, the calculation is simple: 3rd with 161 points behind his compatriot, he must at least validate a victory and a second place in the two remaining races, while hoping for a misstep from his opponents.

Capable of winning in giant as in slalom, Alexis Pinturault has plenty of means to catch 54 points over Aleksander Kilde (the victory is worth 100 points, 2nd place 80, 3rd 60 and 4th 50), even if the latter should score giant points, discipline where he is performing and regular this season (zero podium but five top-6 in seven races).

"It is not done, I have already had failures in the giant and in slalom, and the luck factor comes into account, today for example it is part of it," he said.

- the little globe for Caviezel -

If the weather played in his favor on Sunday, the Frenchman hopes that it will remain lenient at Kranjska Gora to avoid race cancellations. Uncertainty also reigns with the development of the epidemic of new coronavirus, of which at least one case has been detected in Slovenia.

Kranjska Gora is located approximately 5 kilometers from the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, which is not currently affected by the quarantine measures decided by the Italian government on the night of Saturday to Sunday.

The cancellation of the super-G made another happy Sunday: the Swiss Mauro Caviezel who thus wins at 31 years the globe of the specialty, his first in his career, with only three points more than the Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr.

After Corinne Suter's downhill and super-G globes and that of downhill for Beat Feuz, Switzerland takes all the trophies of the speed disciplines.

© 2020 AFP