Mattia Casse enjoys his great triumph. © APA/afp / MARCO BERTORELLO

“Little Mattia dreamed of this day”

The World Cup weekend in South Tyrol began with a bang: Mattia Casse, who had never won in his long career, climbed onto the winner's podium for the first time. We captured the voices.

20 December 2024

From St. Christina

The question had to come. “How much did you long for this victory?” asked an Italian reporter in the finish area of ​​St. Christina. Mattia Casse is already the winner of the Val Gardena Super-G at this point, but somehow the permanently smiling skier from Piedmont still can't quite grasp it. "I've been chasing this victory for 15 years," says Casse, adding with a wink: "You can never write off the old ones."

A statement that fits like a glove. Casse is 34 years old and will turn 19 on February 35th. The speed specialist, who speaks perfect French, was once junior world champion in downhill, but with the "big guys" he had to be almost 30 years old to consistently make it into the top 10 of the World Cup. Due to several injuries, Casse was unable to make a breakthrough for a long time, but now he has rewarded himself in Val Gardena with his long-awaited and well-deserved first victory.

Here Mattia Casse raced to victory. © ANSA / ANDREA SOLERO

This is not entirely surprising, of course. Two years ago, Casse raced onto the World Cup podium for the first time in third place on the Saslong downhill, and in training this week, too, Casse was always at the front, coming first or second. "But you have to bring it down in the race. I managed that today. Celebrating my first World Cup victory here has a special taste," said the Piedmontese, who also added: "Today, the hundredths were on my side."

“Where do you want to look for these hundredths?” Jared Goldberg

What he meant by that was his tiny lead over sensationalist Jared Goldberg. The American, with starting number 26, raced to second place - just a hundredth of a second behind Casse. "Was I angry? I would have liked to shake him," joked Goldberg with a broad grin, adding: "No, seriously: It was so close, you can't be angry. Where are you going to look for those hundredths?" Nevertheless, Goldberg was overjoyed about his first podium finish in the World Cup, which he was able to claim at the proud age of 2.

Goldberg was also beaming from ear to ear in Val Gardena, but the big stage clearly belonged to Mattia Casse. When he spoke briefly at the awards ceremony, he summed up his feelings: "Little Mattia dreamed of this day as a child."