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Wide range, not too high expectations: 17 athletes send Swiss-Ski to the prologue of the World Cup in Sölden during the first two giant slalom of the winter. Only a few can expect a first place on the Rettenbach Glacier.
Jonas Schneeberger (SDA)
Swiss ski runners during a Swiss Ski photo shoot at Brack.ch in Willisau. (Image: Urs Flüeler / Keystone (24 September 2018))
He feels good, said Tom Stauffer, head coach, towards the end of the season. However, the hot summer has not been simple. Due to the high temperatures required to improvise, for example, the Swiss had to cancel their trip to Norway in a short time. "The glacier has melted," says Stauffer. Whatever the case may be, the snow has not fallen on many glaciers for a long time. When it finally snowed, the conditions were too soft.
Odermatt and Meillard are in demand
Marco Odermatt. (Image: Manuela Jans-Koch (Malters, October 5, 2018))
Despite the climate challenges, Stauffer is confident that his protégés can build on the strong past season. In Sölden, the expectations are not too great. With Justin Murisier, the best Swiss giant slalom rider loses the season for the third time in his career due to a rupture of the cruciate ligament contracted at the end of August. It is for this reason that Loïc Meillard and the beautiful Marco Odermatt, two of the greatest talents in the sector, are in demand among men.
Murisier, who was very close to the World Cup podium in the pre-season and finished 7th in the standings by discipline, would be the number 1 Swiss in the discipline. Loïc Meillard was the only teammate at the same level last season and once again placed next to the podium. The Swiss hope to be on the men's podium in Sölden. Behind Murisier and Meillard, a last gap escaped. Gino Caviezel did not find the kickoff last season, Graubünden did not score in the top 10 and fell in the last three races in the first race.
Unlike slalom, in which Switzerland has a new size, the structure of the giant slalom is slower. But the trend is recognizable. In the medium term, Marco Odermatt, five-time world junior champion, who scored his first World Cup points seventeen years ago in Sölden, dares to do anything. In Sölden, where the track loses a lot of weight, the number of starting beyond the first 30 is probably not too much. That's why Carlo Janka did not envision a start. Grisons are planning this year only sporadically giant slaloms.
The hopes rest on Holdener and Gut
Wendy Holdener. (Image: Urs Lindt / freshfocus (Willisau, 24 September 2018))
In women, Swiss-Ski complains of a major failure with Melanie Meillard. Due to complications and a new attack to the left knee, the Valaisanne falls after her injury contracted before the Olympics, longer than expected. Thanks to Wendy Holdener and Lara Gut, Sölden's hopes are always based on women.
Holdener hopes, also thanks to another improved physique, another step in the giant slalom. Although Lara Gut did not get into this discipline last season after a knee injury, the slope of the Sölden Glacier is hers. Two of his four wins in giant slalom have led to the opening of the season. It will be interesting to see how their new priorities affect performance, whether they inspire or distract love with Valon Behrami. On the side of the prominent footballer, she realized that there were "more important things than victories" in life.
Precarious perspectives in speed disciplines
Aline Danioth. (Image: Manuela Jans-Koch (Malters, October 5, 2018))
One wonders how new female head coach Beat Tschuor is continuing the legacy of Hans Flatscher. As a former junior executive, Graubünden can properly badess long-term prospects. With six national teams and three category A drivers, the team at the top is smaller than she has ever been, with talents in technical disciplines with Andermatter Aline Danioth (20), Simone Wild (24) and Camille Rast (19). ,
Danioth was impressed during the pre-season after a serious knee injury in the European Cup. For Wild, it's important to build on the consistency of the penultimate winter after a full season. Camille Rast is after a long pause because of the glandular fever of Pfeiffer the great unknown. As precarious, Chuor badesses prospects in the disciplines of speed. "It is important to fill the gap, otherwise a generation will be missed."
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