Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy) (AFP)
The Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami and the Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr: unlike most other races, two favorites stand out very clearly for the super-G of the Alpine Skiing Worlds in Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy) scheduled for Thursday.
From postponement to postponement due to the weather (snow, rain, fog ...), the Worlds program has been turned upside down and the major event in alpine skiing this season will finally begin.
The two super-Gs, scheduled for departure on Tuesday, are due to launch hostilities on Thursday, where intense cold and clear skies are expected.
- The favorites: Gut-Behrami and Kriechmayr -
Lara Gut-Behrami is absolutely untouchable at the moment: she has won the last four World Cup super-Gs, with a 2nd place in downhill in Montana and a 2nd place in giant at Kronplatz (Plan de Corones) .
At 29, the Swiss seems to have regained the level of her big crystal globe of 2017. She can also fix an anomaly in her record: she has five world medals, but no title in six participations at the World Championships.
In men, Vincent Kriechmayr (also 29) remains on two consecutive victories in super-G, in particular in Garmisch (Germany) last Saturday.
And the competition against him is decimated: the American Ryan Cochran-Siegle and the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde are injured.
The participation of Switzerland's Mauro Caviezel, absent due to injury for more than a month, is hanging by a thread.
They are the only three skiers to have won in super-G for a year, apart from Kriechmayr.
- The supporters: Shiffrin and Paris -
American Mikaela Shiffrin has not competed in super-G for over a year and her victory in Bansko at the end of January 2020. Her level in the discipline at the moment therefore remains a mystery.
"I was able to do three days of super-G in training, I'm going to do one more before Cortina. I feel good on the skis, it's fun. I'll do my best, I hope. a good result, but I'm going to have trouble defending my title which was already a surprise in 2019, "she explained at a press conference last week.
Italian Dominik Paris ruptured his cruciate ligaments in his right knee in January 2020, but he is back in great shape: he has just won the Garmisch descent on Friday and is racing at home.
- The big odds: Lie and Innerhofer -
Kajska Vickhoff Lie is the new Norwegian nugget in speed.
At 22, this almost unknown arrives in Cortina with a positive dynamic: she climbed on her first World Cup podium at the end of January in Garmisch (2nd in the super-G).
The Italian Christof Innerhofer arrives at 36 years old on the circuit (273 starts in the World Cup) for his 7th World Championships.
He has not been on a podium since December 2018, but remains on four consecutive top-5.
Above all, he has the advantage of knowing the track, never used in the World Cup for men.
The French Nils Allègre (27 years old), never mounted on a World Cup podium, arrives launched by the best season of his career and a 4th place in Garmisch on Saturday.
Thursday's program
10:45 am (9:45 am GMT), super-G women
13h00 (12h00 GMT), super-G men
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