10 questions, 10 answers: This is what you need to know about the World Cup final: Swiss hail of bullets, open questions and parties in the goat shed

class=”sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc”>

Swiss-Ski certainly already has two crystal balls. Marco Odermatt can no longer be caught in both the general World Cup and the giant slalom. The prospects for another six prizes are good. Odermatt leads in downhill and super-G, Lara Gut-Behrami in the overall World Cup, downhill, super-G and giant slalom. It is entirely possible that eight out of ten crystal balls will eventually go to Switzerland. Historical? Yes. But not the record. In 1988 Pirmin Zurbriggen, Michela Figini and Co. won. eleven of the twelve prizes.

On the one hand, because more people did not qualify, their performance was not good enough. On the other hand, because the women’s team was hit hard by injuries (Holdener, Corinne Suter, Flury, Blanc). For comparison: there are twice as many men (14) at the start.

Yes! After the Valais achieved three podium finishes in three days in Aspen, he is now only three points behind the second-placed Austrian Manuel Feller in the overall World Cup. As a reminder, there has never been a Swiss double victory in the overall Men’s World Cup. And the chances of Meillard securing second place behind Marco Odermatt are high for two reasons. 1: Unlike Feller, the 27-year-old will not only compete in the giant and slalom in Saalbach, but also in the super-G. And the fact that Meillard really likes the slopes in Saalbach was evident in 2018 when he came second twice within 24 hours.

The top 25 in each discipline and the riders who scored more than 500 points in the overall World Cup. Also allowed to start: the reigning junior world champion. By the way: even if many athletes were injured this winter, their places at the start will not be filled – no others will move up.

This is actually new, previously the final was crammed into one week. The idea behind the new schedule is clear: viewing figures are significantly better on weekends. This generates more attention and more money. After all: the parallel competitions have disappeared; there are no individual or team competitions.

Same as at the World Cup. With one difference: only the best 15 of each race receive points.

Parallel to the World Cup final, the last European Cup races will be held in Norway. Because our junior downhill world champion Livio Hiltbrand was able to secure a permanent place for the coming World Cup winter with a top 3 place in the European Cup classification, the Simmentaler will not fly to Austria, but to Kvitfjell. Lenz Hächler from Zug will take part in his first World Cup slalom in Saalbach. The 20-year-old won gold in this category at the Junior World Championships in February. Valais Malorie Blanc (20), who won World Cup gold in the Super-G, is also not there. But for a different reason: shortly after her victory, she tore her ACL.

Switzerland. For the third time in the past four years. Swiss-Ski has a 1,604 points lead over Austria – President Urs Lehmann will be happy.

At the World Championships next winter, the men will compete for downhill medals on their own, technically very demanding courses. At the upcoming World Cup Final, Odermatt and Co. will be racing. on the women’s track. “Due to the often very high temperatures at this time of year, it is almost impossible to run two downhill routes at the same time,” explains OC boss Bartl Gensbichler, adding, “that the women’s route is completely new. And according to FIS regulations, a slope must be tested once in racing mode before a world championship. But I am already convinced that this women’s descent will also demand a lot from the men.” Austrian speed coach Sepp Brunner, who trained here with his boys last week, sees it differently: “This route is great for women, but not really spectacular for men.”

The World Cup finals are notorious for letting the athletes do their thing after the matches. Destination number 1 is probably the “Goassstall” – an après-ski hut with space for 2,000 people. Why is it called that? In 1993, a nearby stable, where goats lived, was demolished.

Source : Blick