Results After checking the iPhone weather, I made the executive decision to not set the alarm for 4:30 AM to watch this race live. I figured there was a 50-50 chance both races would be canceled and while the men's race in Val Gardena was canceled due to snow and fog we did get some action in Sankt Moritz.
But maybe we shouldn't have? Don't get me wrong, I love ski racing as much as the next guy but the conditions were terrible! The start was lowered, removing the first 30 seconds of skiing. But the racers still had to fight flat light, fog, all above tree line, uneven snow conditions.
The big takeaway was Sofia Goggia broke two bones in her left hand after slamming it into a panel. Goggia skipped the podium ceremonies to go directly back to Milan for emergency surgery and hopes to compete again as early as tomorrow!
Notes
I was really happy to see Elena Curtoni take the W today! She seems to bring a lot of joy to the World Cup. One of those racers that's always smiling. And of course she was feeling it when the Italian anthem was played in her honor.
Mikaela Shiffrin continues to amaze. Participating in her first speed event of the season and on only limited DH training she managed to ski into 6th place.
In fact, it was a great day for US women generally. Four American women finishing in the points led by Breezy Johnson in 5th. Lauren Macuga finished 30th to score her first World Cup points in only her forth start.
Some higher bibs (Aicher 15th from bib 40 & Mangan17th from bib 50) managed to get into the points as the fog on the upper part of the course lifted a bit, improving conditions slightly. Keep an eye on Aicher, she continued her strong skiing from Lake Louise (31, 21,21) and she's only 19.
The technical issues with skiandsnowboard.live continue! Today the broadcast didn't begin until bib 5. As a result, US viewers missed the winning run as well as 4th place finisher Jasmine Flury.
Everyone looked a bit tentative, but Nina Ortlieb looked especially uncomfortable. Ortlieb is just returning from a major injury - these are exactly the conditions that challenge you most when you're trying to rebuild confidence. But check this out! I guess she's uninjured, but no wonder she wasn't exactly charging.
Speaking of which, where were the Austrians? You have to look all the way down to 13th place on the results sheet to find the top woman of the OSV.
A great day for younger athletes to score points. A lot of veterans who've experienced previous injuries, appear to have decided discretion was the better part of valor.
Comments