Ski: Brignone wins super-G cup “a great season” – Sport

(ANSA) – LENZERHEIDE, 05 MAR – To think that only a year ago, after the great disappointments in Cortina, he had thought about retiring. Fortunately, for her the moods and the world have changed for her blue skiing and Federica Brignone can proudly say that what is about to close has been “a really great season” for her. The Azzurri won the super-G world cup, the first Italian to do so. A result that should also free the mind from uncertainties and doubts and clear the field of controversy and discontent for having his brother David as a coach and a former athlete mother, Ninna Quario, at times intrusive and too externalizing. Brignone has arithmetically conquered the cup even before going out on the track in the Lenzerheide race. Before her, in fact, the only athlete who could compete for her had come out, the other blue Elena Curtoni, demonstrating the Italian domination in this discipline. The very difficult race – with very narrow doors and a rough surface with different types of snow that saw four of the first five athletes finish out – was surprisingly won by the French Romane Miradoli, 27 years old, first career podium, Miradoli was set in 1.19.87 putting the right race. Second is Mikaela Shiffrin, who has thus taken the lead of the overall cup standings by herself as her rival Petra Vhlova has finished far behind. Third Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami, gold in Beijing. Best blue, fourth just two hundredths from the podium, and understandably sorry, the Piedmontese Marta Bassino. Brignone instead closed – after a series of almost inevitable errors on this track – ninth. For her – 32 years old next July 14, the only blue to win the world cup and the most successful Italian in the history of the world cup with 19 successes – it is the third discipline cup after the giant and combined ones. In Beijing Brignone then obtained a silver and a bronze. For her in Lenzerheide there were also the compliments of Roger Federer, guest of honor at the event and who has a house in the village. But – after three seasonal successes and after having thrown the controversy over her shoulder over the imprudent words of her mother to her teammate Sofia Goggia, the other great dame of Italian skiing – for Federica it is time to just rejoice. “Three seasonal victories, two Olympic medals and the super-G cup are really a lot of stuff”, she cheered, although she regretted a race below her expectations. “I started well but I felt myself slipping, I made a few mistakes too many and I had the nightmare of making a mistake. I couldn’t get a good feeling and I braked everywhere. The track – he said – was beautiful, really tough and I didn’t trust me. The first three had fallen, I felt myself slipping mainly on my right foot, and I didn’t have that confidence but the mistake is mine. I don’t like racing like this, I prefer to take risks and go out rather than always brake “. In the standings for Italy there is Karoline Pichler from South Tyrol, 13th after a solid performance. All the others behind. Tomorrow in Lenzerheide it’s up to the giant slalom, with Brignone Olympic silver in charge and Bassino who wants the podium. (HANDLE).