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Program, favourites, French people: everything you need to know about the Alpine Skiing World Championships

2023-02-06T07:13:55.452Z


For the 5th time in its history, France is hosting the global competition from Monday in the neighboring resorts of Courchevel and Méribel (Savoie), where the Blues are outsiders against foreign stars.


A great star duo

At the top of the podiums are expected Marco Odermatt and Mikaela Shiffrin, world number 1 without interruption since the fall of 2021. The indomitable 25-year-old Swiss has eight victories in World Cup events this season, logically giving him the label of skier to beat.

"

Of course, with my season, I'm favorite to win medals, and I want to do

it," he said during a press briefing in Courchevel.

Already victorious in super-G and giant this winter, Odermatt will also compete in the downhill, where he is one of the favorites, and the combined, which includes a super-G round.

Excellent in the World Cup, Odermatt has however never won a medal at the Worlds in two participations.

"

I'm very happy to be here, it's cool to have the opportunity to win a medal at the World Championships," he explained.

It's a dream to win a medal, maybe gold.

“Two things could get in his way, however: a knee injury that occurred in Kitzbühel (Austria) two weeks ago and the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, his main rival.

My knee is fine, I took a week off.

My knee, my body and also my head needed this rest to be motivated, to be fresh

”, he assured, although he agreed that he was “

maybe a little bit

" embarrassed.

Beyond words, it is on the track that the native of Nidwalden (Swiss canton) reassured, by winning in the last two super-Gs in Cortina d'Ampezzo a week ago.

For her part, Mikaela Shiffrin brackets the narrative arc of Ingemar Stenmark's record of World Cup victories (he lacks a success to equal the Swede at 86 victories) to open another chapter: with eleven world medals, it could approach the absolute record dating from before the war of the German Christl Cranz (fifteen) and exceed the more modern mark of the Norwegian Kjetil Andre Aamodt (twelve).

The 27-year-old American hopes above all to erase the humiliation of the Beijing Olympics where she had sunk by not winning any medals in five races, for three outings, or as many as in the previous four years.

She hasn't been abandoned since.

Ambitious Blues, but...

Weighed down by injuries (withdrawals from Matthieu Bailet, Victor Muffat-Jeandet, Thibaut Favrot), the French team still presents itself with its strengths (Johan Clarey in downhill, Romane Miradoli in super-G) but also more leaders or less in doubt like Tessa Worley (no podium this winter) and the 2021 double world champion (giant and parallel) Mathieu Faivre, not yet in the top 15 since changing ski brands.

We are a little less serene, we will have to raise the level to compete with the best.

But I have confidence in my skiers.

We are less on the front of the stage in the World Cup but that's not why I don't believe in them on the big events

, ”says the manager of the French men's team David Chastan.

"

We have a team capable of winning in a lot of different disciplines

, ”said Clément Noël, the only Blue to have won a race this winter in slalom, but who also had four retirements.

As for Alexis Pinturault, he has regained some color this season with several top 10s, but only one podium (a 3rd place in super G at Beaver Creek) and the feeling that he has not regained his confidence two years ago.

Two different playgrounds

On one side, the Courchevel Eclipse.

On the other, the Roc de Fer in Méribel.

On the one hand, the men's events.

On the other, those of women.

These Worlds in France will offer two tracks with very different profiles, and therefore a very varied show.

The organization of such a competition on two separate sites also poses significant logistical problems, transport in mind, in these steep areas.

In the middle of school holidays, a question remains concerning the attendance of the public in places primarily oriented towards the leisure of tourists.

Alpine Skiing World Championships: all the stars not to be missed near Courchevel-Méribel

Go to slideshow (10)

The program of exams

Monday, February 6:


Combined women, super-G at 11:00 a.m., slalom at 2:30 p.m.

Tuesday, February 7:


Combined men, super-G at 11:00 a.m., slalom at 2:30 p.m.

Wednesday February 8:


Women's Super-G at 11:30 a.m.

Thursday February 9:


Men's Super-G at 11:30 a.m.

Saturday February 11:


Women's downhill at 11:30 a.m.

Sunday February 12:


Men's Downhill at 11 a.m.

Tuesday, February 14:


Parallel by mixed team at 12:00 p.m.

Wednesday February 15:


Individual parallel men and women at 12:00 p.m.

Thursday February 16:


Women's Giant, first round at 10 a.m., second round at 1:30 p.m.

Friday, February 17:


Men's Giant, first round at 10:00 a.m., second round at 1:30 p.m.

Saturday February 18:


Women's slalom, first run at 10:00 a.m., second run at 1:30 p.m.

Sunday February 19:


Men's slalom, first run at 10:00 a.m., second run at 1:30 p.m.

Source: lefigaro

All sports articles on 2023-02-06

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