Ski cross-country skier Nikol Kučerová made it to the small final at the World Cup in Innichen and improved her seasonal maximum in the World Cup in seventh place. She premiered in the Italian center for the first time in the elimination races on Sunday, today she managed to advance from the quarterfinals for the first time and placed in the top ten for the fifteenth time in her career.
The race was won by two-time world champion Sandra Näslund from Sweden, who has not yet missed in the grand final in any of the six races of the season. She was the first to cross the finish line for the fifth time and celebrated the winning double in Innichen. She left behind Swiss Fanny Smith and Canadians Marielle Thompson and Hannah Schmidt. The French final was won by the Frenchman Bastien Midol in front of the three Swiss and took the lead in the SP.
After three set-up failures and a missed start in Arosa, 32-year-old Kučerová made a breakthrough in Innichen and advanced to both races. While she did not beat anyone in the quarterfinals on Sunday, this time she left behind Alizee Baron from France and Lucrezia Fantelli from Italy and took second place.
“I’m glad. Finally, after that bad luck, I managed at least a little bit,” Kučerová told ČTK. In the Italian center, the Czech skier cross-country thrives; in 2010, she recorded her only podium in the World Championships in third place. “I like the hill here, the turns alternate with jumps, it’s technical and can be invented, even though most of the segments were smaller this year. I like it here overall.”
In the semifinals in the competition of three Olympic medalists Thompson, Smith and another Canadian Brittany Phelan, she finished last. “I didn’t want to repeat the mistake from the previous day at the start, but I was too high and then they took care of it,” Kučerová said. As in the quarterfinals, Phelanová was not enough in the race for fifth place, which was won by another Canadian, Courtney Hoffos. After the slowest start, Kučerová moved to third place after the French Jade Grillet Aubert dropped out soon after the collision.
Thirty-two-year-old Kučerová is still riding in pain after a fall in Arosa a week ago, “I have half my ass purple, I’m on pills and on ice. unwanted somersault and landed on the back and buttocks. “My spine didn’t explode as it should. If it did, it would be better. But it turned out well,” she said.
Take a look at the fall of Nikol Kučerová in Arosa:
The second Czech national team member in Innichen, Diana Cholenská, did not qualify for the race.
After the Christmas holidays, Kučerová plans to go to Poland to train with her coaches. The World Cup will continue from January 13 in Nakisce, Canada, and before the Beijing Olympics, races at Idre Fjäll in Sweden are scheduled for January 21.
World Ski Championships in Innichen (Italy):
Men: 1. Midol (Fr.), 2. Regez, 3. Baur, 4. Detraz (all Swiss).
SP standings (after 6 of 14 races): 1. Midol 357, 2. Tchiknavorian (Fr.) 310, 3. Regez 212.
Women: 1. Näslund (Sweden), 2. Smith (Switzerland), 3. Thompson, 4. Schmidt (both Can.),… 7. Kučerová, in qualification 25. Cholens (both CR).
SP standings (after 6 of 14 races): 1. Näslundová 550, 2. Smithová 426, 3. Phelanová (Kan.) 301,… 20. Kučerová (CZE) 84, 28. Cholens 38.
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