The startlist of the speed opening at Beaver Creek, with the start scheduled for 7.00 pm: ten Italians competing, with very great ambitions starting from Sofia and Federica, at the ends of the first group where Gut-Behrami, at the gate in eighth, he will anticipate Bassino, Pirovano and Curtoni. Ortlieb, Suter, Johnson, Haehlen are also back…
The first female descent on the Birds of Prey, the seasonal opening for women jets in a weekend of pure spectacle in Beaver Creek, where Sunday will close with the super-g.
Appointment with the queen discipline at 7.00 pm today, with live TV on Eurosport 1/Discovery+ and Rai 2, for a highly anticipated race which should also be helped by the weather, after the shortening of the third test which followed the training, on complete track (which only involves cutting part of the initial surface compared to the classic route used by men), on Wednesday and Thursday.
Gauche will open the speed season, then immediately an important reference in Weidle-Winkelmann, while Nicol Delago, who was injured three months ago in Ushuaia and is not yet at the top, will be the first Italian with bib number 4; after the Val Gardena, the great return (one year after yet another terrible crash in Sankt Moritz) of Nina Ortlieb, back on track like the Olympian Corinne Suter, who has dissolved her reserve and will present herself with the n° 17, but also Haehlen (bib 22) and Johnson (n° 32), while Tamara Tippler postponed her “new” debut after maternity leave.
Mirjam Puchner will be the first of the big names in terms of WCSL with number 6, then here is Sofia Goggia with number 7 for the first post-injury match, but having already understood in practice that she is there, yes: the Bergamo native begins the hunt for the fifth crystal ball downhill and will start just before the Italians’ main rival, at least as far as we have seen in recent days, namely Lara Gut-Behrami (2nd, 1st and 4th in official training). Then Marta Bassino with 9, brilliant especially in the technical part, the first of the Birds of Prey, and looking for at least a good placing to then focus very strongly on the super-g. Austria will have two great references in Venier (10) and above all Huetter (11), holder of the cup, then again very blue with Stuhec (13) in the middle, thinking of Laura Pirovano with 12, Elena Curtoni (also at returning a year after the injury) with 14 and Federica Brignone with 15 and the feeling that here, even downhill, something big could be at stake.
Maximum attention to the “L factor”, Lie and Ledecka with numbers 19 and 22 respectively, but also to the hosts (without Vonn, who will debut for her comeback in Sankt Moritz, and Shiffrin who will almost certainly also skip the super-g in Engadine next weekend) with Wiles (20) and Macuga (27), as well as Johnson.
The other Italians: Nadia Delago will wear bib no. 25, Sara Thaler 34, finally close to the conclusion (with 45 starters) Roberta Melesi with 42 and Vicky Bernardi 43rd at the gate.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL STARTLIST
WOMEN’S DOWNHILL – BEAVER CREEK
Startlist: 1 Gauche, 2 Weidle-Winkelmann, 3 Ming-Nufer, 4 Nicol Delago5 Ortlieb, 6 Puchner, 7 Goggia8 Gut-Behrami, 9 Bassino10 Venier, 11 Huetter, 12 Pirovano13 Ribbon, 14 Curtoni, 15 Brignone16 Raedler, 17 C. Suter, 18 Ager, 19 Lie, 20 Wiles, 25 Nadia Delago, 34 Thaler, 42 Melesi, 43 Bernardi.
