Two-class society in slalom: Sometimes Shiffrin, then Vlhova, then Shiffrin: Vlhova coach: “I’m disappointed in the others”

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There is hardly a more boring slalom bet in the ski circus: “Shiffrin or Vlhova wins!” Anyone who guesses like this is either discouraged or looking for safety. He certainly won’t make much profit.

In the night slalom in Courchevel (Friday), it is once again Petra Vlhova (Slk) who has the upper hand ahead of Mikaela Shiffrin (USA). In Killington (USA) it was the exact opposite: Shiffrin won ahead of Vlhova. You soon notice: the 28-year-olds dominate the slalom at will. They have competed in ten of the last eleven slaloms and have been on the top two podiums a total of 23 times.

“It’s very good for our sport because we help each other move forward and maybe take our sport to the next level,” says Vlhova. She gets this opinion, she doesn’t have to worry about further competition. The question is allowed: what competition? In Killington Wendy Holdener (30) finished third, losing 1.37 seconds off the best time, and in Courchevel Katharina Troupe (Austria) lost 2.06 seconds.

Do the trainers have too little confidence in the drivers?

Many have come to terms with the fact that third place in slalom is the highest emotion. That’s exactly what makes Vlhova’s coach Mauro Pini thoughtful. De Ticino: “It cannot be that in the past seven or eight years almost only Petra and Mikaela have won. In my opinion, many coaches don’t push their athletes enough: they are too good, too nice. There is still a lot of room for improvement. You can and should have more confidence in the drivers.”

Finally: Holdener won two slaloms last season, one of which was tied with Anna Swenn-Larsson (32, Sd). The German Lena Dürr (32) triumphed once. Pini puts it into perspective: “Petra had a weak season and Mikaela wasn’t great either.” Both caught up in the summer and – in stark contrast to the competition – took a step forward. “That’s why I’m very disappointed in the others.”

Mere mortals versus aliens

Several riders even believed that they had definitively closed the gap between the super duo and themselves. But now the scissors are opening again.

“Many are overjoyed when they come third and also very happy with placements between fourth and sixth. This may be fine in individual cases, everyone has a different story. But the goal should be to reach the top,” says Pini.

Vlhova was also at such a “dangerous” point last season. ‘But that doesn’t work for me. I am ambitious. We discussed it and changed a few things – now you can see the results.”

Source : Blick