Soelden, Odermatt wins the giant. Bad for the Italians: Borsotti 28th – Corriere.it

There Ski World Cup has managed to get underway, at least at the level male after the cancellation due to bad weather giant female on Saturday 22 October. The gigantists, on the other hand, managed to get off on the Austrian glacier of Rettenbach, above Soeldenand the incipit was in the sign of Marco Odermattthe one who holds the general trophy.

The Swiss champion preceded the Slovenian Zan Kranjec by 76 cents and the Norwegian by 97 cents Henrik Kristoffersenwhich immediately gave a podium to the ski brand produced by Marcel Hirscher. It was in fact the debut of Van Deer – this is the name of the company of the champion (now retired) who gave Austria eight absolute World Cups – even if for now there is no brand on the tools.

Italy came out with broken bones from the first act of the new season. Luca De Aliprandini jumped about halfway through the first heat (he had a very small gap compared to Odermattalready in the lead, but it doesn’t matter to be fast if you can’t stay inside) and the only blue who qualified for the “run 2” was Giovanni Borsotti (23rd time). The hopes of trying to recover then collapsed with a serious mistake that confined Giovanni to 28th place, the last of those who reached the finish line.

The real problem, however, is the overall flop: everyone is shipwrecked, veterans like Tonetti, “semi-young” like Hofer, Zingerle, Maurberger, and the expected new lions, Giovanni Franzoni and Filippo Della Vite. All beyond the “cut” of the thirtieth position, especially all behind Dominik Paris. Our speed ace in fact participated in the giant in turn, also without qualifying, but this race was for him a super-training and nothing more, in order to work on the curves in view of the super-G. Well, Domme did better than the wide door specialists. Italy was at the start with 9 athletes, the maximum possible contingent, and did not collect anything: we need a quick swerve; we need a deep reflection also by the technicians because talented guys like Franzoni (holder of the European Cup and winner of 5 junior world medals, three of which gold) and Della Vite cannot go so badly.

The World Cup is now waiting for the verdict on the possibility of competing, on 5 and 6 November, the two women’s downhill runs on the new Zermatt-Cervinia track. The decisive inspection of the FIS is scheduled for Tuesday 25 October: the men’s tests on 29 and 30 October have already been canceled due to lack of snow. Perhaps the situation has improved thanks to a disturbance recently transited over the Alps, but the uncertainty about the first and historic transnational race remains. In the event that the two free practice sessions cannot be held, the white circus will return to Lech (Austria) with the only parallel on the calendar: on November 12 the women will compete, on the 13 the men.