World Cup departure: Switzerland celebrates its gold sensation

On the 2,4 kilometer long route in Méribel, France, Sofia Goggia was considered the rider with the best chance of winning gold. In particular, the middle section with technically demanding curves should suit the great Italian hope. But the Azzurra's risky driving style was, as so often in the past, its undoing. In the end, someone cheered that no one had really taken into account. Jasmine Flury from Switzerland defied all the efforts of her competitors and sensationally celebrated her gold medal in the downhill. Silver went to Nina Ortlieb (+0,04 seconds) from Austria and bronze to Corinne Suter (+0,12) from Switzerland.

Jasmin Flury set a first exclamation mark with start number 2 and a time of 1.28,03:6 minutes. But first everyone was waiting for number 30. Sofia Goggia was the big favorite and remained true to her tried and tested all-or-nothing motto. Several minor insecurities ensured a spectacular ride for the XNUMX-year-old and after the middle part she was still at the front. Then there was a shock at the finish line: Goggia overlooked a pothole and drove too directly into a gate. The Olympic champion was no longer able to correct and moved in. Although she doesn't fall, this is a big disappointment for the experienced speed athlete, who missed her best chance to date of downhill gold at the World Championships.

Sofia Goggia is annoyed about her trip. © ANSA / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Other favorites such as Elena Curtoni (13th place), Ilka Stuhec (6th place) and Lara Gut-Behrami (9th place) also bit their teeth on Flury's time. Without any visible mistakes, the three speed aces lost a lot of time in the upper section, which they were subsequently unable to compensate for. The piste seemed to deteriorate with each start number and later no longer allowed top times. Proven female drivers also fell far short of Flury's mark.

Joy with a South Tyrolean coach – Delago not at the forefront It was a blessing for the Swiss, who won gold with start number 2 and a very strong ride. A development that can definitely be classified as a surprise. Flury's only major success so far was a Super-G victory in 2017. For comparison: the Swiss came 2022th in the Olympic downhill in Beijing 15. The tears of joy that ran down the 29-year-old's cheeks at the finish , so they weren't a surprise. Nina Ortlieb in second place and Corinne Suter in third place also started in the top 2 and made excellent use of the conditions. The South Tyrolean will probably also win bronze Roland Platzer happy that Suter is training.

The other Azzurre like Nicol Delago from South Tyrol (18th place) and Laura Pirovano (14th place) also failed to match the times of the top placed with their high start numbers (17 and 19). This breaks the Italian women's national team's winning streak after Marta Bassino won gold in the Super-G and Federica Brignone won the combination.

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World Cup departure: Switzerland celebrates its gold sensation

World Championships are always good for big surprises. This was the case again on Saturday. It was not the top favorite Sofia Goggia who won the gold medal in the Méribel downhill, but a Swiss woman who surprised everyone.

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