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The two podiums of Loïc Meillard and Marco Odermatt are a symbol of the rise of the Swiss.
Very happy with 3rd place: Loïc Meillard.
Keystone
And then comes the carver. Loïc Meillard is sure at this point: “That was with a podium.” He will say so later. But Neuchâtel stays fresh, catches a good line and secures third place. Meillard is defeated by Alexis Pinturault, the Frenchman, who moves in his own spheres in both giant slaloms, twice with a lead of more than a second. And from Filip Zubcic, the Croatian who has now finished second three times in a row in Adelboden.
Marco Odermatt on Friday, Meillard 24 hours later: with their third place, the Swiss continue the trend. 16 races in four disciplines resulted in 13 podium spots for men.
The days when Swiss skiing attracted ridicule and malice are long gone. One or the other can still painfully remember the winter of 2012/2013, when Carlo Janka achieved the only podium with third place in the Wengen combination.
With all due respect: at that time, hardly anyone would have dared to imagine how easily the Swiss would one day put on their best performances again.
When the coach slipped out of the target area
Adelboden’s two giant slaloms can be described as excellent examples of change. Because the Chuenisbärgli represented the failure of the Swiss like no other for years. Since Marc Berthod and Daniel Albrecht’s double win in 2008, they have had to explain, time and again, why it didn’t work out.
The criticism was particularly harsh in 2017, when Manuel Pleisch was ranked 23rd as best local and was the only one to even make it to the finish. To which a fellow coach told Helmut Krug: “Krugi, you better turn it around.”
The Austrian had just taken over the giant slalom team this year. He ran away from the finish area in Adelboden a couple of times, he laughs. But she always had the belief that the Swiss would triumph again in their discipline of care. Because he had previously seen for 14 years as a coach in Sweden how a team with young talent should develop. Krug already cared for Meillard and Odermatt at the European Cup. He knew the great potential that both have. “But it took time.”
The main problem was that the team lacked a decorative figure that could take the pressure off the boys. Carlo Janka, once world champion and Olympic champion in giant slalom, could no longer cope with the new radii of the skis and finally turned more towards speed disciplines. So Meillard and Co. focused too early.
Trust as the last piece of the puzzle
Swiss-Ski now has the best giant slalom team in the World Cup, with at least one Swiss on the podium in all six races this winter. Krug talks about a process that athletes had to go through: “They are all very well trained technicians. They have worked hard on themselves for the past three years. And now they have the confidence that they can be at the forefront. ”This understanding was ultimately the last piece of the puzzle of success.
The constellation in the team is certainly an important factor. Odermatt and Meillard are among the best in their field at the age of 23 and 24 respectively, Justin Murisier (29) and Gino Caviezel (28) are among the best extended. “If I can keep up with Loïc and Marco in training, I know what’s possible,” says Murisier. Or put another way: if you’re up front in training, you should be in the race too.
Meillard and Odermatt talk about how they fulfilled a childhood dream by taking the podium at Adelboden. As children, they would stand on the platform to look at their idols. One wished that many other children could see the drought end in Switzerland on Friday and Saturday. As it stands, however, it is at best a small-scale celebration, with supervisors cheering and residents waving flags. But: at some point Corona will end. And there is nothing stopping the Swiss from competing for the podium.
What can the latter show? Can you beat Pinturault? It has an advantage of 3 tenths. Good start, but the lead is gone, but it’s still there. No!! So the cutter and build are great. But it is enough for the podium. He is third behind Pinturault and Zubcic.
Can yesterday’s Dominator also convince on today’s second pass? Its advantage is 0.72 seconds. Good start for the Frenchman and extends the lead to more than a second. What trip! He takes it out very neatly. Then a mistake before the arrival slope, but it is enough without problems. 1.26 seconds ahead and the new leader.
Will the Swiss rise to the podium? Oermatt has a 0.32 second lead at the start. He also attacks, extends the advantage. Have a good trip from him, without mistakes, on the train. But then a long way before the Zeilhang and it is hardly enough. 0.41 seconds behind Zubcic.
Kilde started 0.04 seconds ahead. He attacks, literally cuts through doors and is as fast as Zubcic. He handles the finish slope well, but is second, 0.43 seconds behind.
Can the second yesterday get the Italian in trouble? He is also fully on the attack, he can practically maintain the initial advantage. The risk is also amortized in the middle section. Maintains leadership. He also drives aggressively down the finish slope and is 0.8 seconds faster than De Aliprandini.
Favrot starts aggressively, after the first half with small errors, the lead is melting, but it is still there. Before the finish slope he is still in the lead, but at the end he is only 4th, 0.19 seconds behind.
The last Austrian is on the way. He also runs well at the top and loses very little. In the middle part with small errors, before the arrival slope it is already behind. They are 0.18 seconds to the finish and third place.
The next Swiss is on the slopes. He got off to a better start and I can keep the lead. He’s also doing well in the midsection, maintaining the lead, but it’s not enough. 0.14 seconds behind and 2nd intermediate place. Finally, it says at the end.
What does the Swiss show? Could it cause problems for De Aliprandini? Barely. You lose a lot at the top, but then you can keep the gap within bounds. He handles the finish slope well and is second with 0.48 seconds behind.
The Italian rides very well at the top, attacks and slightly increases the lead at the top. Very good ride, but with small errors at the bottom, but enough: 0.5 seconds faster and the new leader.
Schmid is the only German who has qualified. The lead was more than a second at the start and it was almost gone in the center section. In the end he is 1.19 seconds behind. Feller had a very good run.
Can the Norwegian bring his 0.75-second lead to the finish line? More than half are already on top and he is behind in the second split. He wastes a lot of time and only ranks 16th.
The second French has started. He also loses almost all leadership at the top. In the end he ranks tenth, 1.10 seconds behind.
Italians are wasting time too. Facing the arrival slope, rest immediately. In the end, you are not rewarded for your active drive. 0.47 seconds behind.
Zampa also loses a lot of time at the top, the lead is gone in the second split. In the end he was in tenth place, 1.37 seconds behind. One after another fails due to Feller’s time.
The first of the four French is on the way. He also loses a lot of time at the top, then hangs with the stick and loses the advantage. He drives the finish slope well again and is fourth, 0.53 seconds behind.
The first failure of the second execution. You can easily lose your balance at the top and miss a goal.
The Italian drives cleanly on the course of his coach and enters the finish slope with a small deficit and climbs to fourth position with 0.57 seconds behind. This annoys you audibly.
Black gradually loses the lead, but enters the finish slope with almost two tenths and still fails. 0.03 seconds behind his compatriot.
Erik Read starts with a 0.41 second lead, loses it almost entirely and then can expand again to 0.33 seconds in the second half time. He drives the final grade cleanly but not fast enough and is ranked second, 0.09 seconds behind.
