Nadia Delago on “stupid mistakes” and the way to the top

The first races of the season in St. Moritz did not go as planned for the bronze medalist from the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. But now things should be looking up, says Nadia Delago in a SportNews interview.

14 December 2023

From: sn

Ranks 26 (downhill) and 34 (super-G) in St. Moritz do not meet Nadia Delago's demands. The 26-year-old, who finished in the top ten five times in the 2021/2022 season alone - and also won the Olympic medal in China - has been in a downward spiral since last year. The Wolkenstein resident has not (yet) found a way out of this. Nicol Delago's younger sister has been waiting for a place in the top 20 for more than a year.

What positive things do you take away from the weekend in St. Moritz?

“That's undoubtedly the feeling on the skis. At times during the training I felt like I did two years ago. Unfortunately it didn't work out in the race because I made stupid mistakes. In addition, after a long time we were able to drive on a route that lasted more than just a minute, as we were recently unable to train for speed due to the bad weather. In this respect, the weekend in St. Moritz was very good for getting into the rhythm.”

How close are you to your best form?

“I don't feel in top shape yet, but I'm much closer to it than last year. There is still a bit of self-confidence and a feeling for speed and jumps missing. Now it’s about improving from race to race.”

Do you prefer the route in Val d'Isere?

“I can't say I like one descent better than the other. What is true, however, is that in Val d'Isere, due to the forest, the contrast is significantly greater and the visibility is therefore better. In St. Moritz you can’t see anything when the sun isn’t shining.”

Nadia Delago ticked off St. Moritz. © Leo Holzknecht / Pentaphoto

Due to the injuries to Karoline Pichler and Elena Curtoni, the Italian winter sports association FISI is only fielding ten athletes in the training in Val d'Isere: Federica Brignone, Sofia Goggia, Marta Bassino, Nadia Delago, Nicol Delago, Laura Pirovano, Roberta Melesi, Teresa Runggaldier, Elena Dolmen and Monica Zanoner. The latter four athletes will probably compete in a qualification on the Oreiller-Killy slope, as Italy only has nine starting places in the race. The first training session on Thursday was canceled due to heavy snowfall, but there will be an initial route inspection. Training will take place on Friday, the downhill run will take place on Saturday, and a Super-G is planned the following day.