French Skiers in Wengen: Triumph and Tragedy

A triumph for one, a dark day for the other: it’s split Friday for the French team. Shortly after Cyprien Sarrazin cut the Lauberhorn to offer himself a magnificent victory, two weeks after a first number in Bormio, Alexis Pinturault violently fell during the super-G in Wengen on Friday. The Courchevel skier, seriously injured, had to be evacuated by helicopter. The race ended up restarting, no one went faster than Sarrazin, not even Marco Odermatt (2nd at 0″58) and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (3rd at 1″00). But it is difficult to fully rejoice within the blue clan, despite the demonstration of the Haut-Alpin.

Odermatt broke his teeth on Sarrazin’s time: his super-G on video

This is the first time that a Frenchman has won a super-G in Wengen – there had only been three before. And the third that a Tricolor wins in speed in the Swiss station, after Henri Duvillard (1970) and Jean-Claude Killy (1967) in descent. Bib 3, Sarrazin created the gap from top to bottom. When he crossed the line, in 1’47″75, the time indicated more than three seconds ahead for the skier from Dévoluy over the Canadian Jeffrey Read. Monstrous.

Paintingult hélitreuillé

Guglielmo Bosca, bib 5, almost achieved a feat by only conceding 1″16 – he finally ranked 5th, 0″10 behind his compatriot Dominik Paris. Bib 7, Alexis Pinturault was fighting with the Italian’s time when he fell at the 4th inter, unbalanced on a jump. Hard hit, the combined world champion was unable to get up. He had to leave the track by airlift, throwing a chill into the Swiss resort. The race started again, 25 minutes later, after the offending bump had been smoothed.

Sarrazin – Odermatt, the crossover

The day after his very first downhill success, Odermatt, bib 10, saw himself doing the double. The Swiss remained in ambush until the exit of the Kernen-S (+0″31). Before seeing his delay double at the finish. Sarrazin made a great start which sheltered him from any real fear, over the passages, of losing his leadership seat. In the 1st inter, after 17″ of racing, the one who best limited the damage is Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, already pushed back to 23 hundredths. The Norwegian still managed the feat of lighting green at the next interval (-0″07). Before conceding more than a second on the second part of the course.

It’s the same trifecta as during the descent. Except that this time, Sarrazin and Odermatt reversed their positions. The Haut-Alpin continues to confirm. Odermatt, who had beaten him by the same gap of 58 hundredths the day before, found himself a serious client for the rest of the winter. At least in speed. Saturday, it will be the time for beauty with the descent of Wengen, the real one, on the entire legendary Swiss track.

2024-01-12 14:23:00
#Wengen #SuperG #Gentlemen #Victoire #Sarrazin #Odermatt