After his victory in Alta Badia, Marco Schwarz also triumphed at the Super-G in Livigno. Behind it, Simon Jocher surprises the ski world.
Between the years, the men’s Alpine Ski World Cup is actually raced for World Cup points on the icy slopes in Bormio. Year after year, the ski racers know what they are getting into. Some men even forego the slippery and dark descent in Lombardy because of the risk.
Simon Jocher surprises the ski world with his Top placement
This year, the World Ski Association FIS decided against Bormio and let the speed men fight for World Cup points for the first time in a Super-G in Livigno, not far from Bormio, because Bormio will be the Olympic course in February. Therefore, the racers also had to adjust, because it was significantly sunnier from top to bottom, and the track was even a little soft in places, which also led to some twists and failures.
The winner was the Austrian Marco Schwarz, who was probably the only one to reach the bottom without any major mistakes and is in strong form in the Olympic season. Behind him, Simon Jocher from Garmisch-Partenkirchen celebrated an outstanding fifth place – and thus the Olympic standard. The 29-year-old Jocher has never been so strong in the Ski World Cup. After finishing 14th in Val Gardena, it was also the best placement for a German speed driver this winter.
Black celebrates his first victory in the Super-G after the giant slalom
The Austrian Schwarz celebrates his next success after his victory in the giant slalom in Alta Badia shortly before Christmas. In the Olympic season, the versatile 30-year-old is getting into better shape and achieved his first ever Super-G success in the World Cup in Livigno.
Before the victory in Alta Badia, he had not been able to win a World Cup for two years due to injuries.
Kriechmayr went faster for a long time – and then out
Black triumphed ahead of the three Swiss Alexis Monney (+0.20 seconds), Franjo von Allmen (+0.25) and Marco Odermatt (+0.29). The Italian Dominik Paris and Jocher (each +0.31) placed directly behind them at the same time. In the Olympic winter, the German Ski Association (DSV) is finally sending such an important sign of life in the speed area.
Incidentally, an Austrian was even faster than Schwarz for almost the entire driving time: Vincent Kriechmayr, who, however, was eliminated at the finish slope with a lead of more than three tenths of a second.
Even Marco Odermatt, who is so confident, briefly loses control
Like so many others, Kriechmayr made this crucial mistake that separated Black from the rest. Even the otherwise confident overall World Cup leader Marco Odermatt briefly lost control of his outside ski.
Probably also because this Super-G venue was new to everyone: “It’s definitely something special, especially because no one has raced here before.”said the Austrian Stefan Babinsky in the Sportschau interview. The German drivers also noticed this: the veteran Romed Baumann was far back after an illness. And the not yet very experienced Jocher, with number 32, showed what was still possible on the new and sunny track with the surprising fifth place.
Black in impressive form in the Olympic winter in Italy
Babinsky also found: “I’m basically very happy with my ride. Unfortunately, I made a mistake in the lower part, which just annoys me because a lot would have been possible.”
So in the end he came ninth as the second-best Austrian – and still grinned: Because Marco Schwarz became the new serial winner in the Alpine Ski World Cup in the Olympic winter in Milan and Cortina, of all places in the Italian Alps. The actual alpine ski series winner Marco Odermatt also noticed this.
Standing after 39 drivers