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Kajsa Vickhoff Lie started at number two on the ground and beat Stephanie Venier’s time by 2.29 seconds. An achievement that allowed him to sit in the manager’s chair for a long time.
– I never sat in that leadership chair, so as soon as I made it to the finish line, I took off my skis and ran there, Lie tells NRK.
And when big names like Federica Brignone came behind Lie on the hit list, it started to look very promising for the Norwegian mountaineer.
For the first time, Lie was allowed to sit in this chair.
Photo: Bjørnar Haaland / Private
He was allowed to sit in the saddle longer than he expected, but there was still little to do with skier Lara Gut-Behrami. The Swiss passed Lie and then there was a new woman in the presidency.
But neither was it other than the Swiss who managed to match Lie’s time.
So it was a sensational second place in super-G, just ten days before the same competition runs at the World Cup.
– It’s completely unreal, Lie starts after second place.
– I had my World Cup debut here in 2017 and I pushed myself at the end of the track here. After that, it hasn’t been my favorite place. So to be able to attack this far and actually do it, that’s something that means a lot to me.
Self-confidence in the World Cup
The 22-year-old says she has skied better and better throughout this season. It means a lot both for self-confidence and future plans. Also overlooking the World Cup.
– Do you believe in a medal at the World Cup?
– More faith now at least, I can admit it, says Lie.
Lie put on a great performance at Garmisch-Partenkirchen.
Photo: Marco Trovati / AP
NRK mountaineering expert Kjetil André Aamodt believes that second place on Saturday means everything to Lie’s motivation.
– Now he is 22 years old and it is good to have him on his belt, the first podium. So I think tomorrow he can already take advantage of that and challenge Lara Gut-Behrami, says Aamodt.
For Sunday, there is a new super-G race and a chance for the 22-year-old to fight for victory with the Swiss.
– It’s extremely good during the day, I should have, but I see that I’m not lagging behind, says Lie.
It is also a new opportunity for Ragnhild Mowinckel, who did not drive well as her teammate on Saturday and finished 2.94 seconds behind Gut-Behrami at the finish line.
International advance
Second place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is Lie’s biggest international breakthrough, aged 22. Lie has always had good performances in the World Cup, but has never been on the podium.
– Completely raw, fantastic made by Kajsa, said NRK expert commentator Bjarne Solbakken on the achievement:
Before Saturday’s race, Lie’s best super-G record was sixth at St. Moritz last season. On the other hand, he has given good results in several training sessions this season. Last weekend he had the best time training at Crans Montana, but he didn’t get to vote when he arrived.
In 2018, he became a double junior world meter in both downhill and super-G.
