Map of Corones (Italy) (AFP)
More than two years after her last World Cup success, the French Tessa Worley regained the flavor of victory on Tuesday by winning the giant slalom at Kronplatz (Plan de Corones) in Italy, less than two weeks from the Worlds.
Is it the fresh air of the Italian Alps and the proximity to Cortina d'Ampezzo, where the Worlds will take place (February 8-21)?
The 31-year-old double world champion is in any case finding her best feelings at the right time, with a 14th World Cup victory, the first since October 2018.
Fifth at the end of the first race, she gave everything when she hurtled down the 1.325 meters of this demanding track for the second time, alternating passages in the shade and in the sun, and ultimately tricky with its two bumps.
"I wanted to take all the risks to have no regrets and see where it would take me. I just thought of giving the best of myself, not necessarily to win," she explained on Eurosport.
The Frenchwoman beat the Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami (2nd at 27 / 100th) and the big favorite of the day, the Italian Marta Bassino, 3rd at 73 / 100th, who will therefore have to wait a bit to secure a fifth victory this season in giant.
However, Bassino retains the lead in the specialty standings with more than 100 points ahead of Worley (460 against 336).
"I'm really happy, because it's a race I was very keen on," said the Italian, pointing out the difficulty of this fairly recent track on the circuit - first World Cup race in 2017: "C it was as if there were two snows: very hard at the top, but giving way a little at the bottom ".
- Gisin's fault -
Worley, sitting in her leader's chair, shivered a lot as she watched the second run of the Swiss Michelle Gisin, the last skier to go down after setting the best time in the initial heat (with a margin of 78 / 100th over the Frenchwoman).
In the lead at all the intermediate passages, Gisin seemed set to win before a big fault in the final, starting across a gate just before the last bump.
With the 27th fastest time in the second round, the 27-year-old Swiss must be content with sixth place in the final, 1 sec 32 / 100th behind Worley.
A great relief for the Frenchwoman who finally won the supreme award this season after two podiums, still in giant, in Courchevel (3rd) in December and at Kranjska Gora (2nd) in January.
And regains sensations after collecting injuries and operations to the right knee for the past two seasons.
"I'm so happy, a part of me told me that I could do it and then on the other side I said to myself that it might be over", rejoiced Worley who entered with this 14th success in the top 3 in the historical ranking of the most successful skiers in giant slalom in the World Cup.
"It's pretty funny, because two or three years ago, before the Worlds, I won the race. It doesn't mean anything but I have the impression that my form is improving and that is good, ”she added, thinking of Cortina.
This victory comes at a special moment for her, the very day that her companion, Julien Lizeroux, will compete (in the evening) his very last race on the World Cup slalom in Schladming (Austria).
The general classification of the World Cup is still led by the Slovakian Petra Vlhova (883 pts), only twelfth behind the giant of Kronplatz (at 2 sec 05 / 100th), ahead of Gisin (783 pts).
© 2021 AFP