The Italian Marta Bassino, already victorious in the opening giant, won that of Courchevel on Saturday in difficult weather conditions, in front of the Swedish Sara Hector and the Slovakian Petra Vlhova, still solid leader of the general classification of the World Cup.
The triple holder of the big American globe Mikaela Shiffrin, stuck in a complicated 2020 (death of her father, health crisis, back problems), ends at the foot of the podium.
The one who explains not aiming for the big globe this season did not stop with the media, a rarity at home, invoking the race on Sunday where the skiers follow up with a new giant in the French resort.
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Shops closed, empty station, snowflakes covering the sound of footsteps ... The novel coronavirus pandemic has returned the mountain to its own silence.
In any case, until the deafening electro-pop-fair sound system, not well suited to the camera, reminds the white circus that it was in competition in Courchevel.
Silence and calm are what pleases the Italian Marta Bassino, who loves summer to recharge his batteries in her refuge in the Gesso Valley (north-west of Italy) during long walks with some friends. , without any network.
After having already triumphed on the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden (Austria) in October, this giant specialist has done it again in Courchevel.
Second in the first round, she let go of the horses on the second track to climb to her 13th World Cup podium, with her third victory.
Vhlova never leaves the podiums
At 24, Bassino is asserting herself as one of the best skiers in the world, and watch out for her growing versatility: she already has podiums in super-G and downhill and tried her hand at slalom in November.
She climbs to second place in the general classification, 162 points behind Petra Vlhova.
The Slovakian continues her impeccable season with a 5th podium in 5 races (three wins, two third places).
The giant's reigning world champion could even have hoped for better after the best time on the first track, but had to give in in the second round (finally 3rd at 59 hundredths).
The continuous snowfall and thick fog in places made the race extreme.
Not enough to scare the Swedish Sara Hector (28), 2nd at 0''46, who is finally back on a World Cup podium after six years of absence (the last time in Austria in December 2014).
"With my fault in the first round, I could hardly hope for much better"
Tessa Worley
In a race missed by the Blue (only one qualified in the 2nd heat), the double world champion Tessa Worley grabbed places on the 2nd track to finish 12th at 4''72.
"With my fault in the first round, I could hardly hope for much better," analyzed the Frenchwoman with the Dauphiné Libéré.
I am happy with my second run.
It was a real fight, it was really complicated.
But I didn't manage to do a full heat, we saw girls who really managed to keep the pace more than me, there are things to improve for tomorrow. "
As for the camera, Worley deals with it.
“It's a different atmosphere, a little sadder.
We have the chance to ski, to do our sport, to have a season that starts.
We will try to make the middle of the mountain dream through our races, our skiing.
But it is sure that it is a difficult period for everyone, we have to stick together. ”
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