At the last speed race of the season, Lindsey Vonn rasted the podium sensationally. Lara Gut -Behrami won the day’s victory – which also clawed the small ball.
At the very last speed race of the season and in her very last race on US soil, Lindsey Vonn made it: the sensational returnee raced onto the podium for the first time after her comeback.
At the finish she cried, at the award ceremony she showed herself emotionally, in an interview with ORF she said that second place was one of the most important success of her career. The 40-year-old has had a roller coaster ride: at the beginning of winter she was able to surprise with top ten placements straight away, in St. Anton she was just barely scratched past the podium, but then many failures followed and failed. At home race in Sun Valleyin front of a home crowd, but then showed that it still belongs to the top of the world.
Gut-Behrami the Super-G ball is clawing
She was only beaten by Lara Gut-Behrami, who with a spectacular and aggressive journey over the Funpark-like “Challenger“-Slope raced at the best time. The Swiss not only got the day’s victory but also prevailed in the duel around the small ball against Federica Brignone (3rd, +1.33 seconds). Before the race on Sunday, she was only five points behind the dominant Italian-with the victory, the 33-year-old stormed past her.
“Challenger” slopes challenges athletes
The two DSV starters Emma Aicher and Kira Weidle-Winkelmann landed nine and eleven in the places. For Speed Specialist Weible-Winkelmann, it was the last appearance this season, for Aicher there are another two races with the giant slalom and slalom.
In difficult conditions and poor soil view, the athletes felt the new one for them “Challenger“-Rasse on the soon Mountain in Sun Valley. The name of the slopes was the program: in the first part of the stretch of bobbing-like curves, then a steep slope, hardly any sliding passages, little time to rest in the crouch. Perfect for technicians like Lara Gut-Behrami.
First speed race in Sun Valley
Speed races are held in Sun Valley for the first time, in the 1970s the World Cup circus already stopped in the ski resort in Idaho, but at that time only for technology competitions. The World Cup final should have been opened on Saturday with two descents, but the races had to be canceled due to strong winds.
Federica Brignone and Marco Odermatt got to benefit. The Italian and the Swiss scored the small ball in the departure and the two can no longer be obtained in the overall World Cup. For Brignone it is the first time that she wins the big ball.