The skier from Bergamo: “What a boom with Fede. Victories and ratings, our sport is popular again”
Sofia Goggia, the importance of always being there: after the Olympic bronze in Cortina, she is still third in the Soldeu downhill, in the World Cup. It would be a mistake to consider this a foregone conclusion.
“It was a very solid performance which gives me a lot of confidence in view of the two super-Gs tomorrow (today, ed.) and Sunday. This is a track more for ‘glissatrici’ than for truly technical athletes, so getting on the podium is something really nice, which confirms how well I’m skiing and how fit I am, as well as being able to defend myself even on the easier sections.”
Let’s give the numbers: there are 67 podiums in the Cup and 39 in the downhill. Does the math add up at this point in your career?
“Thirty-nine downhill is a lot… But at this point a few victories would be needed to make the difference. Suter and Ortlieb confirmed that they were going really strong in the upper part, as in practice, and even if I managed to contain the gap, it wasn’t enough”.
Yet with the bronze in Cortina he demonstrated that he has always been there for almost ten years. She has become an example of longevity, despite countless injuries.
“But with lots of quotes! (Laughs) There isn’t a day on skis in which I don’t take anti-inflammatories, I’ve had to deal with a lot in my life due to injuries, I could say I’ve had a ton of them. Of course if I think back on it, and then I think about what I managed to achieve, it’s really nice, being a little more reflective has certainly extended my career, maybe now in some races I risk a little less. Then the desire to give everything is always there, just think of the super-G Olympic Stadium in Cortina…”.
She went out when she was in the lead. At least she didn’t go for a walk under the trees like the Norwegian McGrath in Bormio.
“It would never have occurred to me. And anyway, I really don’t like walking in boots.”
How much does it annoy you that your last downhill success was on the Olympia delle Tofane, more than a year ago?
“I thought about it a bit and I also said to myself, “Damn Sofia, you haven’t won yet this year”. Soldeu is just the second podium, in fact on German TV they were incredulous and asked me for confirmation. There would also be the Olympic bronze, despite the mistakes at the Schuss, but that day, based on how things had gone, I say I’m good. In short, it’s true that this year I haven’t won in the downhill yet, but already getting on the podium on two completely different slopes makes me understand that I’m on the right track. road and maybe I’ll succeed soon.”
It’s true that this year I haven’t won on the downhill yet, but already getting on the podium on two completely different slopes makes me understand that I’m on the right path.
The Cortina press room was a single chorus: had there not been the interruption due to Lindsey Vonn’s accident, things would have gone differently.
“Instead there was. With “ifs” and “buts” you can’t move forward, so more than for my medal, the real disappointment was witnessing Lindsey’s accident after a dominant season and knowing all the effort he had put in to try to win the Olympics.”
Yours is a long-standing friendship. Have you heard from each other recently?
“I can only say that he is going through a very dark time.”
And do you have a happy memory of Milan Cortina?
“Everything was beautiful, even if the hotel prices were crazy. After the super-G, in the evening, I remember looking in the mirror and saying to myself “You tried, you were going strong”. Positive and negative emotions, but unique precisely because they were experienced in Cortina”.
Among the many Italian medals, which one did you like the most?
“I was very happy for Paris, it was probably his last Olympics and he managed to grab something that he didn’t have in his palmarès”.
Federica Brignone also returns to super-G: she will have bib number 10, and she will have bib number 9, like Baggio and Vieri. Do you think “Valanga Rosa” has been used too little for two champions like you?
“Perhaps compared to the 70-80s our impact was more economic, I remember the boom season in 2018, thanks to my 13 podiums two hundred thousand more boots were sold. We brought skiing back into the homes of Italians, I’m not saying Sanremo, but the Olympic downhill had a 37.7% share. Maybe we were more of a driving force than an avalanche…”.
One day I would like to get out of bed as if I had never had anything and see the effect it has. But I certainly still have a lot to give to this sport
Federica reiterated that she would exchange the two Olympic gold medals for the possibility of returning to before the injury. Would she do it?
“I couldn’t, before winning the Olympic gold I had already had three crusaders and four operations. I have never had a career as linear as hers, which up to the age of 34 she practically skied without having anything. She has always had an incredible mileage on skis that I can only dream of, in total she will have done 140 more World Cup races than me. Then, faced with the injury, as a champion she was good at getting back on her feet and started again from the same very high level last year. For me it was different, I broke down at 14, 18, 19, 21, 23 and 31, before and also during the successes I achieved.”
She tortured herself to ski, which Brignone has no intention of doing, even if it meant quitting.
“One day I would like to get out of bed as if I had never had anything and see the effect it has. Of course there is wear and tear on the ligaments and joints, but I certainly still have a lot to give to this sport and I even consider myself lucky to be as I am now, with all the operations I have had.”
This year he started the season aiming for the overall World Cup ranking. Could you try again in the future?
“If you come third twice, why not dream of victory? It seemed feasible to me, but above all I needed to direct attention to something other than the Olympics, the object of all the questions. Now that we are almost at the end, I would sign up to win the downhill and super-G cups, but it won’t be easy at all, it doesn’t just depend on me. For sure, from here to the end you will see me in all the stages, even in Are in giant slalom.”
Atalanta, her passion, surprises at least as much as she does.
“My goodness, what did I experience the other night in the Champions League, I was here with the phone when I saw the penalty foul, it was truly fantastic. Atalanta gave me such happiness, that of my city celebrating. Among other things, after the Winter Games I went to the stadium to watch the match against Napoli and it was such a magical evening that it gave me the inspiration to write the social post at the end of the Olympics.”
In the meantime, have you managed to submit your thesis in Political Science on “Soft power and propaganda in the history of the Olympics, from Ancient Greece to the present day”?
“I had it printed here in Soldeu on Thursday, I want to re-read it carefully on paper, after having done the bulk of the revision on the computer. We’re there now. But don’t ask me about Russians and Belarusians at the Paralympics with their flags, I only know that sport should be a reason for unity and peace.”
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