At the third to last goal, Mikaela Shiffrin’s World Cup dream bursts. On the other hand, an Italian is celebrating the first gold at the World Ski Championships in Courchevel/Méribel.
From the very first slalom turns it was clear that this first gold medal at the World Ski Championships in Courchevel-Méribel would only go to the strongest skier in the world. Move after move, momentum after momentum, Mikaela got Shiffrin hundredths of a second to the leading Italian Federica Brignone on Monday afternoon (06.02.2023).
In front of the target slope on the Roc de Fer in Meribel the American was only eight hundredths of a second behind Brignone. It got loud in the stadium Shiffrin ignited her dreaded final sprint on the way to the supposed seventh World Cup gold, but it ended abruptly: Shiffrin was eliminated at the third to last goal. “I felt good. I actually did everything I set out to do at the time. But of course it’s disappointing.”she said on ZDF. “I have to take the risk.”
Instead fetched himself Brignone the first gold at the Ski World Championships 2023 in Courchevel/Meribel as world champion in alpine combination – it was her first world title. The only German Emma Aicher was a respectable eighth.
DSV head coach Andreas Puelacher sets course
The German head coach Andreas Puelacher had probably set a task that was too difficult for him Shiffrin. The Austrian sat the slalom, which ultimately no one managed as well as Wendy Holdener from Switzerland and the actual giant slalom specialist Brignone. The latter was quite a bit of a surprise on this first day of competition in France.
The American Mikaela Shiffrin slips up just before the end
Probably only one believed in it: gold favorite Shiffrin: “Federica doesn’t do slalom that often, but she’s an incredible athlete and I think she can do that too”Shiffrin said before the decision: “I don’t think it’s over yet, I have to do my best.” Behind Brignone Consequently, the Swiss Wendy Holdener took second place, 1.62 seconds behind. Austria’s Ricarda Haaser was third (2.26 seconds back).
Aicher properly on the “cool slope” in Méribel
“Cool slope“, that was the short statement of the only German starter Emma Aicher before the Super G. However, she still didn’t use it perfectly. With starting number one, she drove a little too cautiously to 23rd place, but then caught up again in her favorite discipline, slalom – also due to the cancellations of some speed drivers – and ended up eighth.
“It was okay. I could have driven better, but that’s okay“Said Aicher himself on his first World Cup appearance in Meribel. The 19-year-old placed within the expectations of the German Ski Association in the first competition of the World Ski Championships. On Tuesday, the men will also start the first decision.
Co-favorite Marta Bassino is eliminated
Some ski racers used the Super G in the morning, by the way, also as a test to get used to the conditions in Meribel to get used to it and to punch a first safe run in the snow.
But that didn’t always work out: Some made big mistakes in this technically demanding run, which is why the world-class speed driver Sofia Goggia faced problems. She landed only just ahead of Emma Aicher and did not compete in the slalom, the co-favorite Marta Bassino even dropped out. And after too Shiffrin failed, the way was clear for Brignones first world title.