“She always argues”: Gut-Behrami was once annoyed by Vonn, but now she keeps a cool head

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Mikaela Shiffrin (28, USA)? Injured. Petra Vlhova (28, Slk)? Also. Sofia Goggia (31, It)? You too. Three top riders who had the potential to win the overall World Cup. This possibility still exists for Shiffrin – she is on the way back, but is already 205 points behind Lara Gut-Behrami. And so almost everything indicates that the Ticino woman will win the overall World Cup for the second time after 2016.

In this context, you often hear similar sentences in the ski team: “Gut-Behrami only gets the big ball because others are injured.” Is that correct? For SRF expert Stefan Abplanalp this is nonsense. “Lara skis so strong that Mikaela and the others would have to do their utmost to beat her, even if they were fit. At the same time, Lara is extremely strong mentally – she has perfected the ability to focus on what is important.” The Haslitaler adds with a smile: “Lara has the pressure on the outside ski and not in her head.”

Theater Accusations and the Vonn-Aus

However, that was not always the case. Judgement. Before Gut-Behrami wins the overall World Cup for the first time in 2016 in St. Moritz GR, she and speed queen Lindsey Vonn (39) will also work off the track. “She always argues,” Gut-Behrami said in late February 2016. What happened?

Simple: Vonn fell at the Super-G in Soldeu (And) on Saturday and suffered a stress fracture around his left knee. The next day she sets the best time in the Super-G combination (she finishes 13th) and Gut-Behrami is eliminated. Vonn now leads the overall World Cup by 28 points over Gut-Behrami and says: “I am a fighter. I participate. I’m old, but I’m not done yet.”

Gut-Behrami answered the Psycho-Zoff with a smile, “She’s always making a fuss. It is not the first time and it will not be the last time.” You have to know: According to Gut-Behrami’s former management, Vonn would have prevented her sponsor Red Bull from also signing the then young Swiss woman.

“Lindsey sometimes crossed the line”

Vonn shows off an MRI image on Instagram the next day. There you suddenly see a fracture of the tibial head – the speed queen has to end her season, Gut-Behrami’s road to the ball is paved.

Abplanalp still remembers it well. No wonder he was Vonn’s coach at the time. «Lindsey was then no longer only active in the ski world; she was an in-demand superstar with many obligations. Yet she always gave full throttle on the slopes, sometimes over the limit.” Looking back, it is clear to him: “For me it is quite possible that Lara would have won the overall World Cup even without Lindsey’s injury. It was a duel between equals.”

Shiffrin is no problem for Gut-Behrami

And today? Shiffrin is very different from Vonn, Gut-Behrami respects her a lot. Swiss alpine director Hans Flatscher says: “Lara is currently not at all interested in whether an opponent is riding or not. That is no problem for them.”

So far she’s doing great with this tactic.

Source : Blick