The French: Tessa Worley
Leader of the French women's team, Tessa Worley, 33, still represents France's best chance, with her two world titles in this discipline in 2013 and 2017. "I feel ready for the giant and of course my skis, warned the Frenchwoman.
I arrive with a lot of enthusiasm and pride.”
In Méribel, she had won the little globe from the giant last spring.
But this season, she did not climb on a World Cup podium, finishing 4th at best behind the giant of Semmering (Austria).
In the super G of these Worlds, Worley had not deserved by finishing 9th, 58 hundredths behind the Italian Marta Bassino.
Favorite: Mikaela Shiffrin
The American star has won five of the eight World Cup giants this winter, and is a big favorite for the Worlds.
After an unexpected exit from the track in the combined, the first event of the World Championships, she launched her competition by winning the super-G silver. Undoubtedly more relaxed after this performance, which partially erases her bad memories of the Olympic Games in Beijing last year where she scored zero points, Shiffrin will be the skier to beat.
But one element could disturb the best skier in the world: she separated from her trainer Mike Day on Wednesday to everyone's surprise.
What destabilize the American star?
Defending champion: Lara Gut-Behrami
Eight world medals, three Olympic awards, 36 World Cup victories... The Swiss woman's record would make more than one skier dream.
Two years ago, she had shone in Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy), winning the title in giant and super-G. Victorious in the first giant of the season in Killington (United States), Gut-Behrami then had to content with podiums or even places of honour.
Sixth in the super-G then ninth in the downhill, she has so far failed to win a medal in Méribel.
French world champions
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The number: 2
The number of gold medals already won by the Italians in Méribel.
After the coronation of Federica Brignone in the combined, at the start of the fortnight, Marta Bassino took over in the super-G.
The two skiers precisely represent the main transalpine chances on Thursday.
Bassino won, at home, the giant of Sestriere at the start of the season, then climbed on four podiums, against two for Brignone.
The program
The giant will be contested on the Roc de Fer in Méribel, like all the women's events of these World Championships.
The first round will start at 9:45 a.m. and it will be up to the Frenchwoman Tessa Worley to open the ball with bib number 1. Which could be an advantage, if we trust certain events of these Worlds having smiled on the first to s start, like the Swiss Jasmine Flury in the descent.
The American Mikaela Shiffrin will leave with bib 3, Lara Gut-Behrami with 5, just before the transalpine tandem made up of Marta Bassino (6) and Federica Brignone (7).
On the French side, Coralie Frasse-Sombert inherited bib 9, Clara Direz from 30 and Romane Miradoli from 46. The second round will start at 1:30 p.m.
