Courchevel (France) (AFP)

The Italian Marta Bassino, already winner of the opening giant, won the Courchevel giant on Saturday in difficult weather conditions, ahead of the Swedish Sara Hector and the Slovakian Petra Vlhova, still solid leader in the general classification of the World Cup.

The three-time winner of the big American globe Mikaela Shiffrin, stuck in a complicated 2020, finishes at the foot of the podium.

Shops closed, empty station, snowflakes covering the sound of footsteps ... The novel coronavirus pandemic has returned the mountain to its own silence.

In any case, until the deafening electro-pop-fair sound system, not well suited to the camera, reminds the white circus that it was in competition in Courchevel.

Silence and calm are what pleases the Italian Marta Bassino, who loves summer to recharge his batteries in her refuge in the Gesso Valley (north-west of Italy) during long walks with some friends. , without any network.

After having already triumphed on the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden (Austria) in October, this giant specialist has done it again in Courchevel.

Second in the first round, she let go of the horses on the second track to climb to her 13th World Cup podium, with her third victory.

At 24, Bassino is asserting herself as one of the best skiers in the world, and watch out for her growing versatility: she already has podiums in super-G and downhill and tried her hand at slalom in November.

She climbs to second place in the general classification, 162 points behind Petra Vlhova.

- Thick fog -

The Slovakian continues her impeccable season with a 5th podium in 5 races (three wins, two third places).

The giant's reigning world champion could even have hoped for better after the best time on the first track, but had to give in in the second round (finally 3rd at 59 hundredths).

The continuous snowfall and thick fog in places made the race extreme.

Not enough to scare the Swedish Sara Hector (28), 2nd at 46 / 100th, who is finally back on a World Cup podium after six years of absence (the last time in Austria in December 2014).

The queen of skiing Mikaela Shiffrin, not at the top of her form, won an honorable 4th place, still 1 sec 76 from Bassino who created huge gaps.

The insatiable American with 66 World Cup victories is trying to regain his best level at the end of a difficult 2020 (death of his father, health crisis, back problems).

The one who explains not aiming for the big globe this season did not stop with the media, a rarity at home, invoking the race on Sunday where the skiers follow up with a new giant in the French resort.

In a race missed by the Blue (only one qualified in the 2nd round), the double world champion Tessa Worley grabbed places on the 2nd track to finish 12th at 4 sec 72.

© 2020 AFP