It was to be the day of all anguish for Alexis Pinturault.
A non-specialist in the descent, the French skier risked seeing the young Swiss Maroc Odermatt, 23, comfortable in this exercise, grabbing him points in the World Cup standings at the end of the first of the four events. individual finals in Lenzerheide (Switzerland).
Finally, the day smiled at Savoyard de Courchevel (29 years old).
Or more exactly the weather.
"Due to the continuous snowfall and the current situation, the jury, in agreement with the organizer Swiss ski and all the stakeholders, decided to cancel the two descents (male and female)", indicates the International Federation. ski.
As the two official training sessions on Monday and Tuesday had already been canceled, the organizers had scheduled a training session on Wednesday morning before the races, for a busy program with "four starts" (two for men, two for women), ultimately impossible to do. hold on.
The #descente de Lenzerheide 🇨🇠finally canceled!
👉 @BeatFeuz and @goggiasofia win the little globe!
The race for the big globe continues for @AlexPinturault ... We believe in it!
💪 🇫🇷
Meeting Thursday at 11 am for the men's super-G.
#skialpin #SpritGlisse pic.twitter.com/MVBTGblLuo
- Esprit Glisse Caisse d'Epargne (@EspritGlisse) March 17, 2021
Good news therefore for Pinturault, who has been losing ground for a few weeks.
The leader of the general classification, who has never done better than 16th place in 2012 in the downhill, therefore keeps his little margin (31 points) on the Odermatt racing car.
This Wednesday was the most unfavorable day for him in his duel with the Swiss.
At 29 years old, “Pintu” is still in the race to realize his dream and succeed Jean-Claude Killy (1967, 1968) and Luc Alphand (1997), the only French people to have won the big crystal globe.
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There are three races to go this week to close the season: a super-G, a giant and a slalom.
Three races which suit Pinturault's style and technique much better, even if the super-G is more favorable to Odermatt and that in giant the Swiss won the last.
Only the first fifteen times score points, 100 for the first, 80 for the second, 60 for the third… and 16 for the fifteenth.
The weather is expected to improve from Wednesday afternoon.
If the suspense remains for the big crystal globe, the verdicts have fallen for the classification of the discipline.
The cancellation of the descent has indeed confirmed the rankings.
At 34 years old, the Swiss Beat Feuz won his 4th consecutive small downhill globe.
The Italian Sofia Goggia, 28, is crowned for the second time after 2018.
đź—“ Planning of the week!
The end of the season is approaching, we are all behind the French Ski and Snowboard Teams to get the last victories ... AND the last crystal globes 🏆🔮 # Allezlesbleus 🇫🇷 pic.twitter.com/Gvd4ZQ9iWz
- FFS - French Ski Federation (@FedFranceSki) March 16, 2021
The program
Thursday March 18.
9:30 am: Super G women;
11 a.m .: Super G men.
Friday March 19.
12 hours: team event.
Saturday March 20.
Giant men (1st round 9 hours, 2nd round 12 hours).
Women's slalom.
(1st round 10:30 am, 2nd round 13:30).
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Sunday March 21.
Giant women (1st round 9 hours, 2nd round 12 hours).
Men's slalom (1st round 10:30 am, 2nd round 13:45).
The men's World Cup standings
1. Alexis Pinturault, 1100 points
2. Marco Odermatt (Sui), 1069
3. Loic Meillard (Sui), 760
....
13. Clement Noel, 474
...
16. Mathieu Faivre, 344