Gisin criticizes, American coach follows suit – FIS admits mistakes: “So many injured – that cannot be the case”

She was so excited about Cortina (It). “This landscape, this descent, this weather – I really enjoy being here,” Corinne Suter, 29, said Wednesday evening. Three days later she is in bed with a recently operated knee; her winter is over. Teammate Joana Hählen (32) suffered the same fate; she also tore her cruciate ligament at the Olimpia delle Tofane.

The two Swiss women are not the only ones to get injured in Cortina. In fact, countless female riders – including the best – fell during these three days at the foot of the Dolomites. Of the three races, 35 did not reach the finish. You inevitably wonder: what actually went wrong in Cortina?

“The FIS must analyze this carefully”

Super-G winner Lara Gut-Behrami (32) thinks that the stress for the riders due to external circumstances is much greater than ten years ago: material tests, training, interviews, sponsorship agreements and competitions; it’s all becoming more and more. “At some point you’re exhausted at first,” she says. She knows: nothing will change very quickly.

When you focus on the track, it looks different – ​​something has to happen. Michelle Gisin (30) is one of the drivers who was injured in Cortina. She suffered serious bruises to her shin. The question remains when she will make her comeback. She already talks with a look. And says: “The FIS must analyze what exactly went wrong. So many injured, that is not possible and should not happen.”

Race director defends himself

Two points disturb Gisin. First: the jumps. «There have always been a lot of waves in Cortina. But now the waves turned into leaps. And you ended up on flat terrain, at 100 km/h that is simply not good.” Suter’s injury is an example of this: the woman from Schwyz did not fall, but her knee collapsed during a collision. Austrian skier Cornelia Hütter (31): “Landings on flat surfaces are never good. On Saturday I was in the air a total of fifteen times, which is not usual at the World Cup.”

FIS race director Peter Gerdol does not accept the jump criticism. One thing is clear to him: “The waves make the riders squat. So that slows them down – that’s exactly what we want.” The problem: If a driver drives too passively and doesn’t push the axle, he takes off quickly.

“There are huge run-off areas in Formula 1”

Gisin mentions the delta curve as a second, disturbing point: a crucial passage in Cortina. Numerous athletes fell here. “At the beginning of the bend there were traces of the snowcat that had hardened during the night.” Federica Brignone (33, It), Priska Nufer (31), Emma Aicher (20, De) and they all slipped in slightly different places – one a few meters further to the right, the other a few meters further to the left. “My jump before that was not ideal. But I never thought in my life that I would fall, I just lost my skis.”

It remains to be seen whether the surface was too difficult for the delta curve. American coach Paul Kristofic has something else in mind: “We want to challenge the athletes. And I also think that the athletes have to learn to drive tactically. But it should not be the case that a small mistake immediately leads to you ending up in the net.”

What he means: With the delta curve there would hardly have been any margin to save yourself from an emergency. “In Formula 1, all modern circuits have huge run-off areas that protect drivers from serious injuries. We didn’t have that here.”

FIS announces meeting

Gerdol admits: “In the coming years we will think about how we can create more space for the drivers.” The FIS will be working on this subject in the coming days during a meeting with the speed trainers. Gerdol: «We are constantly trying to improve. The exchange is going well and we take all criticism seriously. You can never do enough for safety.”