Toma Hodomalj and Urban Lorencic of the stadium, who will be commenting on TV SLO matches this season as well, tell us that Friday’s pitch test has already prevented him, and the weather forecast for Saturday isn’t promising either (of course with expert commentator Matjaz Verhovnik). The White Circus will start (or continue, if you prefer) on Saturdays at 10am, weather permitting.
The snow surface is well prepared
The leadership of the International Ski Federation and the organizers are already prepared for different scenarios. « Last year the weather was very nice here, but this time we are expecting bad weather for Saturday’s game. We are ready, the track and the snow surface are well prepared, only the top five centimeters are smooth. We will see and respond if necessary. We have already prepared a spare start at the middle leg of the gondola. We have salt ready. Even after an hour we can start the match,said Peter Girdul, Director of Games for the Women’s World Cup.
What is the calendar for this season?
Women’s World Cup
Michaela Shiffrin smiles again
Also this season, Michaela Schiffrin and Petra Velhova are expected to fight for the big crystal globe. « Shiffrin has received great training, and her statements confirm this. She had no problems in the summer, she and her partner Keldi trained together at Kvitfjel, in the summer they were in Chile,« There will be no special innovations this season, » says Hudomalj.There are only changes in the training teams, which is normal after the Olympic cycle. Some girls also changed equipment, Kästle is back, Ilka Štuhec and Ester Ledecka will compete on these skis, Gisin and Robinson go to Salomon …«
For the first time in the World Cup, skier under the Albanian flag
As we have already mentioned, the Italian Lara Kultury will make her first appearance in the finals of the World Cup on Saturday under the age of 16, which will be played under the Albanian flag. Toma Haddomalj: « She was winning matches in the Copa America this summer, but the World Cup is a big difference. She needs more experience, she needs a few more seasons, so I doubt we’ll see her in the final tomorrow. Zrinka Leotic too (December 2020) He came to the World Cup with great success, but only reached the first (fifth) place in the last match of last season.”
Related matches in Zermatt
Urban Laurenčič warns that an early date for the opening match of the new season could be unlucky if there are already problems tomorrow.The two races usually take place in Sölden the last weekend in October and the weather was generally good for the organizers, and they were able to set up a hard and icy track. Because the new management of the International Ski Federation wanted to include skiing in Zermatt in every possible way (two men and two women each)The glacier premiere was postponed a week ago, so there may be problems at both venues, as skiing in Zermatt has also been suspended due to lack of snow.”
Head through the wall
It can be felt that Lorencz is not the most sympathetic to the new leadership of the FIS. « Look, some of us have been watching the World Cup for at least 20 years. Although we are not experts, we were immediately taken advantage of when they decided to go skiing in Zermatt. We knew it would be difficult to do, but they said – we will. Apparently nodded through the wall. The consequences can be very unpleasant. I don’t understand very well these new ways of people who occupy leadership positions and are elected in an unusual way. «
Rhythm breaks twice in North America
Of course, Laureni thinks of the president of the International Ski Federation, Johan Elias. « They are also on a par with him in the Austrian Ski Association, otherwise the first hearing regarding his election will take place at CAS on December 5. The calendar for the 2022/23 season has certainly not been put together optimally and many teams are just hanging on their heads. Traveling to North America twice breaks the established rhythm, so it’s tiring and expensive too. «
Contestants can’t wait for the start
Otherwise, everyone is waiting for the start of the new season with pleasant nervousness. « Every year we are happy to travel to Sölden. Positive insomnia awakens in you. Here you meet familiar faces, some of which have already become your friends over the years. You can also see the positive energy among the competitors, after half a year of training they are thirsty for competitions and not like in the middle of March when They’re already tired and everything derails them. «
Kranjcic has often had a great start to the season
While we can’t expect a high-profile result from Ana Bucik (it will be number 20 on Saturday) and Neja Dvornik tomorrow, it will be different on Sunday. « San Kranjic is usually well-prepared at the start of the season, Sölden is the best place to be. He’s been fast in rehearsals and I think he should have been a simed top five, maybe three again,Announces Laurenčič. Kranjec took third place on the Rettenbach glacier last year and in 2019, fourth in 2016 and seventh in 2020.
Open design is expected on Sunday
Another interesting fact was revealed to us by Urban Laurenič: “Kranjec has two sleds available for giant slalom. If the track is closed, he will ski on the shorter tracks. In recent training sessions at Val Senalis, he has been faster than the Italians as well as the French in the closed training sessions. The track will be built by a Norwegian and an Italian on Sunday – based on what they saw at Kranjec in Val Senales, I expect the setup to be open. In this case, Kranjec has been skating on longer sleds, which served him well in the apartment last year.
So let the season begin, even if in most of Europe the weather is more suitable for short sleeves than for fur coats.
SÖLDEN, veleslalom, sobota Štartna lista: 1 S. HECTOR ŠVE 2 T. WORLEY FRA 3 P. VLHOVA SLK 4 M. SHIFFRIN ZDA 5 F. BRIGNONE ITA 6 M. BASSINO ITA 7 R. MOWINCKEL NOR 8 M. GISIN ŠVI 9 K. TRUPPE AVT 10 M. GASIENICA DAN. POL 11 L. GUT BEHRAMI ŠVI 12 C. FRASSE SOMBET FRA 13 V. GRENIER KAN 14 T. L. STJERNESUND NOR 15 R. SIEBENHOFER AVT 20 A. BUCIK SLO 48 N. DVORNIK SLO Začetek ob 10.00, finale ob 13.00.
#icy #opening #salty #track #start