Second at the end of the first round, Lara Gut-Behrami had to settle for 9th place in the World Cup giant in Semmering. The victory went to the Italian Federica Brignone.
In search of a first success this winter – and a first podium on a giant scale, Lara Gut-Behrami lost everything by hanging a door in the wall. She then seemed still able to improve the time of the Swede Sara Hector, finally 2nd, 0”57 behind the winner. The Ticino woman ultimately conceded 1''83 over Brignone.
This failure is infuriating for “LGB”, who wanted to come full circle in Semmering where she had picked up the first of her 25 giant podiums 16 years ago and where she lined up for the last time. She also missed the opportunity to take control of the general classification.
Federica Brignone (34 years old), who concluded the first route with a margin of 0”15 over Gut-Behrami, however, did not fail. The Italian clocked the 2nd time in the second round to claim her 29th World Cup success. She also takes the lead in the general classification, with 18 points ahead of Camille Rast and 50 over Lara Gut-Behrami.
Rast only 17th
Leader of the general before this race and 3rd in the Killington giant, Camille Rast did not find the solution on the Austrian snow. The Valaisanne, 15th at the end of the first round, fell to 17th place. She will try to get back on track on Sunday in slalom, where she remains on a victory in Killington and where she will wear the red bib as leader of the discipline.
The two other Swiss women present in the top 30 on Saturday also missed their chance on the second course. Wendy Holdener lost three places to finish 21st, Simone Wild retaining the 24th place obtained on the initial route. Note also the absence in Semmering of Michelle Gisin, who decided to take a break.
>> Also read: Gut-Behrami in contention for victory after round 1
ats/tzing
