SRF expert Weirather (34) has a special suspicion: will Gut-Behrami resign at the climax?

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She drives better than ever before. And will soon be crowned ski queen of the winter. Lara Gut-Behrami (32) dominates the World Cup almost at will. If all goes according to plan, she will win three small crystal balls (downhill, super-G, giant slalom) at the World Cup final in Saalbach (Austria) – plus the big ball for the overall World Cup. «I like skiing, I am fast and healthy. “I don’t think about possible bullets until that happens,” she says.

Although Gut-Behrami has laid out the red carpet for herself in recent months with 15 podium finishes this season (8 of which are wins), one question remains: how long will she continue? She recently indicated that she wanted to race until the 2025 World Championships. However, SRF expert Tina Weirather (34) suspects that this could also be a strategy. “Maybe she is trying to avoid the questions about her dismissal,” says the Liechtensteiner in the “Podcast at the edge of the slopes”.

Weirather explains to Blick: “As an athlete you don’t really like being asked about your retirement. That is why it is certainly smart to specify a longer time horizon.” Will Gut-Behrami resign within three weeks? In any case, Weirather emphasizes that she would not dare to advise Lara anything. “That’s entirely her decision,” said the two-time Super-G Crystal Ball winner (2017 and 2018).

She said in October: “Maybe I’ll quit too.”

There could be something in Gut-Behrami’s surprising dismissal. The Ticino woman recently stated that she would never want to fly to Ushuaia (Arg) again in the summer to prepare. This is because the bad weather in Tierra del Fuego last year was difficult for her – her knees hurt. Statements about the early October deadline could also be interpreted as a reference to an impending end to skiing. When explaining her plan to continue until the 2025 World Cup, Gut-Behrami admitted in Dübendorf ZH: “Maybe I think it’s nonsense and I’ll stop.”

Gut-Behrami spoke about the intense pressure to perform she feels year after year – she is in her 16th World Cup winter. ‘I won’t miss him. You get up every day and you have to be healthy and fit. That takes a lot of energy. You are always measured by your performance. If you have problems you have to solve them as quickly as possible, that’s incredible pressure.”

What does that mean now? Weirather is torn. She says: “Everyone wants to stop at the top. But almost no one does it. When you win it’s a lot of fun.”

The fact is: if top skiers Mikaela Shiffrin (28, USA), Petra Vlhova (28, Slk) and Sofia Goggia (31, It), who were injured in recent months, return to their normal levels next winter, Gut -Behrami will It becomes clear that he has to fight for the balls more than he currently does. Will she still be interested in it? Perhaps it is even true that the comparison with the best, which she has not had lately, tempts her again.

same as Odermatt

Rainer Salzgeber would be happy if Gut-Behrami stays on for at least another year. The head of racing at Head, Gut-Behrami’s long-standing ski and boot supplier, says: “I really hope Lara continues. In terms of success, she is at an incredible level, comparable to Marco Odermatt.” When asked how long Gut-Behrami still has a contract with Head, Salzgeber replied: “We do not provide information – that is generally the case. Ultimately, it is always the athlete’s decision when to retire.”

And who knows: Gut-Behrami may have to endure not one, but two more winters. In 2026, the Olympic races for women will take place in Cortina (Italy). Gut-Behrami has always had a special bond with the town at the foot of the Dolomites; in 2021 she became a two-time world champion here. Her father and trainer Pauli Gut did not rule out this scenario a good month ago. “It depends on the results and your health – a lot can happen,” he said.

Source : Blick