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Sölden and the extraordinary start to the 2020/21 Ski World Cup season
Sölden – Last weekend started the 2020/21 alpine skiing winter in Sölden with one giant slalom for women and one for men. The race was dominated by the current corona pandemic. ÖSV President Peter Schröcksnadel is happy they conducted the races. The organization was good, but from the Austrian point of view the result was not at all gratifying.
The Ötztal organizers have impressively demonstrated that ski races are possible this season. Even if conditions got more difficult and there were no fans and security measures were tight, the effort was worth it. The people of Sölden have taken on a good pioneering role in all winter sports. The organization started from the beginning and it finally paid off. The safety concept can also be implemented in other places in the World Cup.
Lucas Braathen is the youngest to have entered the men’s winners list in Sölden on his 20th birthday. No athlete who saw the light of day in 2000 had ever won a race. The Rettenbachferner seems to be ideal for debut victories, if we recall New Zealander Alice Robinson last winter.
The weather was presented from the most perfect side. This is called postcard time in technical jargon. If you are hungry to ski because of the Covid19 story this is another sheet of paper.
Everyone at the Ötztal had to undergo very strict safety regulations. The mask requirement and testing alternated. The yearning to finally start at the 2020/21 Winter World Cup was actually greater than the subsequent celebration or foray into Ötztal’s nightlife. They all behaved in an exemplary manner. And that’s also a positive sign.
Peter Schröcksnadel, President of ÖSV: “From my point of view, I can see that it is also possible to do ski races safely in winter in Corona times.”
The Italian skiers, who won the Nations Cup last winter, were extremely positive. This year there was a double victory in the first race: Marta Bassino won ahead of Federica Brignone.
The fact that fans were not allowed and the mood may seem gloomy for one ski star or another is certainly not a pleasant effect. We are used to good moods and loud fans, especially in Austria, which is crazy about skiing. Organizing ghost races can be an irritating affair for some athletes. Even some skiers found it difficult to develop feelings and then show them.
The ÖSV women did not show a good run. Results 15, 17, 19 and 24 are not the yellow of the egg and rather speak of a more than unfortunate start to the season. Katharina Liensberger, who can be seen as a bearer of hope, did not finish. And the Eva-Maria Brem zip line, four years ago the last Austrian winner in a giant slalom, did not qualify for the last race and finished only 46th. There is more than action. With men, too, things didn’t go according to plan.
You can also take a look at the status in the Nations Cup. The Austria-Ski-Aces team accumulated a total of 76 points in both races at home. In fact, that’s not much when you consider that Switzerland already has 340 points and wants to do everything in its power to defend last year’s victory.
Report for skiweltcup.tv: Andreas Raffeiner
Those: kurier.at
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