Crans-Montana (Switzerland) (AFP)
The Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami overcame a difficult week on Sunday, with a controversy at home and then great pain, to win the super-G of Crans-Montana and widen the gap in the race for the globe of the specialty.
Very fluidly, without ever giving the impression of forcing, the 29-year-old Ticino was ahead of the Austrian Tamara Tippler by 93/100 and the Italian Federica Brignone by 1 sec 02/100.
Deprived of success for two years in her favorite discipline, Lara Gut-Behrami wins her second consecutive super-G after that of Sankt Anton in mid-January and consolidates her red bib as leader of the specialty with 76 points ahead of the Swiss Corinne Suter.
"I expected a faster and more complicated track", explained the Swiss at the microphone of the RTS, regretting some errors on the top of the track on snow softened by the mild temperatures.
Her rivals for the super-G globe, who were behind her by just five points before the Valais stage, finish far: Corinne Suter caught up with a big mistake but finished 9th, confirming her poor pass after a sparkling 2019/2020 season that l 'had seen both speed rankings win.
Czech Ester Ledecka, victorious in the first super-G of the season in Val d'Isère but hit in the shoulder after a heavy fall on Saturday at the bottom of the second descent, finished fifteenth.
- Goggia and Vlhova at fault -
Before pocketing her 28th round of the World Cup, Lara Gut, winner of the big crystal globe 2016, had some trying days, calling the Mont-Lachaux piste a "disaster" on Wednesday after the first downhill training. dam of the race director.
Handicapped by pain in her back and pelvis, which made it difficult for her to walk, she then took 16th and then 2nd place in the two downhills on Friday and Saturday, behind the Italian Sofia Goggia, who had a fault on Sunday on the super-G .
"I feel as rigid as an old valet, but on the skis there is no problem, things are much better compared to yesterday," said the Ticino, still on painkillers.
It confirms its return to the best level after several seasons complicated by the serious injury (tear of the cruciate ligament of the left knee and lesion of the meniscus) suffered in February 2017 at the World Championships in St. Moritz.
In the general classification, the Slovakian Petra Vlhova paid for her bib number 1 and her lack of benchmarks with an exit at the top of the track, after two excellent results in the downhill (4th Friday then 7th Saturday).
The technician nevertheless keeps 118 points ahead of the Swiss Michelle Gisin, who started right behind her and who skied too carefully, failing in 29th place.
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