The SportNews ski cannon: The newcomers

The newcomers… …Clement Noel is one of this winter’s discoveries. The young Frenchman (Junior World Champion 2018) won the slalom classics in Wengen and Kitzbühel, as well as the final in Andorra. In the slalom rankings, the 21-year-old was only beaten by superstar Marcel Hirscher.

...Alex Vinatzer made it into the top 15 for the first time at the slalom final in Andorra, meaning the 19-year-old junior world champion from Selva climbed to 29th place on the start list. At the slalom in Levi next fall, Vinatzer has a good starting number, in contrast to the high starting number 71 with which Vinatzer started the past season in Levi. The cherry on the cake is World Cup bronze in the team event together with Simon Maurberger, Riccardo Tonetti, Irene Curtoni, Marta Bassino and Lara Della Mea.

Alex Vinatzer from 71 to 29 © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

...Nicol Delago delighted all the ski guns with her podium finish in the downhill run on the Saslong in Val Gardena. The 23-year-old was 28th in the downhill rankings last year, and now she is the second best “Azzurra” in 8th place, beaten only by Olympic champion Sofia Goggia.

World-class downhill skier Nicol Delago © APA/afp / JAVIER SORIANO

The relegated… ...the “Azzurri” giant slalom team was the disappointment of the winter. Luca De Aliprandini finished the discipline ranking in 15th place, Manfred Mölgg and Riccardo Tonetti follow in places 21 and 22. This is not the league of these guys.

...apart from Dominik Paris and Christof Innerhofer, the “Azzurri” speed team also fell short of expectations. The hole left by the injured Peter Fill and Emanuele Buzzi could not be filled.

...the “oxygen affair” cast a doping shadow over the Ski World Cup. Stefan Luiz won the giant slalom in Beaver Creek, but was then disqualified because a bottle of fresh air is doping for the International Ski Federation FIS - but not for the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA. In the end, Luiz got his lost victory back before the international sports court CAS. There are no winners in this case because the German Ski Association DSV should know the FIS doping rules.

The ski cannons… ...are clearly Dominik Paris, Marcel Hirscher, Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn and Aksel Lund Svindal.

Dominik Paris was crowned world champion, won the small crystal ball and set a new South Tyrol record with 7 wins this season. There is no need to say anything more about it.

Marcel Hirscher impressively grabbed the big crystal ball for the 8th time in a row - probably a record for eternity. Mikaela Shiffrin is just 23 years old, the former slalom queen was crowned Super-G world champion, celebrated 16 World Cup victories this winter (record) and grabbed 4 balls (overall, super-G, giant slalom and slalom).

Lindsey Vonn ended her outstanding career at the World Championships with the bronze medal in the downhill, the last time she chased her injury-ravaged body down a downhill slope.

Aksel Lund Svindal ended his career at the World Championships with the silver medal in the downhill, behind his teammate Kjetil Jansrud. Svindal's body also stopped cooperating. “Svindal skied on one leg,” said FIS race director Markus Waldner after the World Cup downhill.

_____________________ The SportNews - Skikanone accompanied you through the 2018/19 World Cup winter as a regular column and is now saying goodbye to the summer break.

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The SportNews ski cannon: The newcomers

With the World Cup final in Andorra, the season for the SportNews ski cannon came to an end at the weekend. As is right and important on such occasions, we take stock of the World Cup winter, which began in Sölden at the end of October.

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