After finishing second in the giant slalom at Kronplatz, Gut-Behrami was satisfied, even if a stone caused trouble.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” said Lara Gut-Behrami in an interview after the race. For the second time in quick succession she hit a stone in the giant slalom. Back in Semmering, the Ticino native was washed back to 9th place after second place in the first run. This had never happened to her before in her career, “now I drive over stones all the time.”
I’ve been fighting since September to get my confidence back in the giant slalom.
This time at Kronplatz, Gut-Behrami was able to limit the damage after she hit a stone in the upper part of the first run. She lost little time to half-time leader Federica Brignone. In the end it was enough for the first podium finish of the season in the giant slalom.
Always stubborn
The anger over the mishap quickly disappeared. «I’ve been fighting since September to get my confidence back in the giant slalom. Today I dared. I made mistakes and not everything was clean. But it always went forward, and I’ll take that with me,” says Gut-Behrami.
A year ago when she won at the same venue everything went well, “now I have to work harder”. She always tried to stick with it, even if, like in Killington, it didn’t work out at all. Now she has been rewarded for her persistence. “I’m proud of that.”
-And of course Gut-Behrami was also able to gain a lot of self-confidence for the World Cup giant slalom, even if it only takes place in around 3 weeks. That’s why she says: “So much can still happen between now and then.” It’s just a matter of focusing on the moment and the current race.
The voices of other Swiss women
Joy from the other podium finishers
Winner Alice Robinson and third-placed Paula Moltzan also had reason to be happy. For Robinson, an almost four-year dry spell since her last World Cup success came to an end. “It was a difficult time,” the New Zealander looked back. It took her a while to get back to the level that would allow her to win. “It’s wonderful to finally win again.”
Moltzan, who was on the podium for the first time in the giant slalom, could hardly believe her luck after her fantastic comeback from 10th to 3rd place. “I don’t know how that was possible,” said the American with a laugh, “I didn’t want to drive like a baby in the second run. I gave it my all and was quick despite a few mistakes.”
Swiss
