#Flury #ensures #double #victory #Switzerland #GutBehrami #continues #winning #streak #CransMontana #Sport
Contents
Lara Gut-Behrami wins the first of two downhill runs in Valais. Jasmine Flury takes second place.
The podium
- 1. Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI) 1:19,11
- 2. Jasmine Flury (SUI) + 0,21
- 2. Cornelia Hütter (AUT) + 0.21
Lara Gut-Behrami has extended her winning streak in the Ski World Cup to four races. After her successes in the Super-G in Cortina, the giant slalom in Kronplatz and the giant slalom in Soldeu, the Ticino woman was also unbeatable in the first of two downhill runs in Crans-Montana. Thanks to an aggressive yet clean ride, the leader in the overall World Cup took 0.21 seconds or more off her opponents.
Behind Gut-Behrami, Jasmine Flury came in second place at the same time as the Austrian Cornelia Hütter. The downhill world champion from Davos secured Switzerland’s second double victory this World Cup winter after the one in the downhill in Val d’Isère last December (1st Flury, 2nd Joana Hählen).
Gut-Behrami draws level with Nadig
Thanks to her 44th World Cup victory, Lara Gut-Behrami extended her lead in the overall World Cup to 105 points over the paused Mikaela Shiffrin (USA). This significantly increases the 32-year-old’s chances of a second triumph in the overall ranking (after 2015/16). Especially since she can continue to score points on Saturday (downhill) and Sunday (super-G).
With now 13 triumphs in the downhill, Gut-Behrami has caught up with the Swiss ski legend Marie-Theres Nadig. With another win on Saturday, Gut-Behrami would equal Maria Walliser’s mark. At the same time, the best Swiss skier of the last 15 years would set a new personal record: she has never won five races in a row. In February 2021, after four triumphs de suite, her series was broken with a second place in the Super-G in Val di Fassa.
The other Swiss women in the top 30
- 7. Priska Nufer + 0.51
- 24. Noémie Kolly + 1.49
- 26. Michelle Gisin + 1.61
- 28. Delia Durrer + 2,08
Behind the two podium finishers, only Priska Nufer from the Swiss squad made it into the top 10 in seventh place. The central Swiss woman, who celebrated her only World Cup victory in Crans-Montana two years ago, spoke of an “okay ride”. Nufer mourned a few small mistakes in the upper part of the track.
Michelle Gisin, who finished the race in 26th place, wasn’t quite up to speed yet. The Engelberg woman fell on the first descent in Cortina three weeks ago and then had to take a break for a while. Last weekend Gisin returned to the World Cup in the Soldeu slalom, and now he made a comeback in a speed race in Crans-Montana.
The route was shortened slightly
Because the snow in the lower part became a little too soft and the finish jump had caused problems in training, the descent on Friday was shortened by around 200 meters and the finish line was moved higher. The best time was around 8 seconds faster than that on Thursday in the final training.
This is how it continues
There will be another departure in Crans-Montana on Saturday (live on SRF two from 10:15 a.m.). On Sunday, the women’s speed races in Valais will conclude with a Super-G (also shown live on SRF).
