Beijing Winter Olympics: no super-G for Goggia

From our correspondent Simone Battaggia

February 10
– Yanqing (China)

Sofia Goggia will not participate in the Olympic super-G on Friday in Yanqing (11 am local time, 4 am in Italy). The decision was announced after the first test laps carried out today on the speed racing training track. At first, during the Chinese morning, a press meeting with the champion in the area of ​​the athletes’ lounge was announced for 13.30 local time. Less than two hours after the meeting was canceled and the formalization of the waiver arrived. It is not specified whether the athlete will participate regularly in the descent, scheduled for Tuesday 15 and whose tests begin on Saturday.

Path

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The Bergamo-born was injured on Sunday 23 January in Cortina. In super-G she had obtained a microfracture of the head of the fibula and a partial lesion of the cruciate ligament of the anterior knee. From the following day, she began a path of rehabilitation and re-athletization in forced stages, in order not to give up the dream of participating in the Beijing Games. The goal was set for the descent of the 15th, but day after day the hypothesis of a participation in the super-G became more and more possible. Arrived in Beijing on Monday 7, Tuesday the blue had put her skis on the snow for the first time: “I can’t guarantee anything, not even to participate in the descent. I’ve been crying all morning, the pressure is enormous ”. Wednesday second test and this time there seemed to be more optimism, the technicians had hypothesized a participation in the super-G “without too many ambitions”, to recover the race pace, obviously leaving Sofia and her sensations the last choice. Choice that must have been tormented, given the second thoughts of the last few hours.

The race

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The super-G is the specialty in which the Italians have dominated this season. Six wins in the seven races held – the other went to Lara Gut-Behrami -, with three wins by Federica Brignone, two by Sofia Goggia and one by Elena Curtoni. The blue formation has not been made official, but unless there are surprises it will be Brignone, Curtoni, Bassino and Marsaglia.