Sofia falls in super G, sprained knee: “But I want to be in Beijing” In the men’s field, the Streif of Kitzbuehel crowns Feuz, only seventh in Paris
CORTINA (belluno)
Sofia Goggia curse in Cortina. On the track that should have seen her protagonist at the World Championships a year ago, before a serious injury to her left knee stopped her, the blue most awaited at the Olympics fell: the physical consequence is less serious, the competitive one risks being much heavier. The Games are at risk because the times for recovery in physiotherapy are very short. Certainly what counts is the will of Sofia who said: «I want to be in Beijing to defend the Olympic title I love most». That is the free of February 15. The diagnosis after resonance and CT scans at the La Madonnina clinic in Milan was heavy: “sprained trauma to the left knee, with a partial injury to the cruciate ligament already operated on in 2013, a small fracture of the fibula and suffering from tendon muscle”. A lot of stuff but that does not require a new operation: in the Goggia staff there is confidence in physiotherapy recovery, which will begin today also at the Bagnolo Fisiocenter in Mantua, but the goal is only the free, for which there are 22 days of time: it is February 15th. “I’m sorry, it’s a stop that was not needed at such an important moment of the season – Goggia’s first words – but as early as the next few hours I’ll start physiotherapy to try to defend the gold on the descent”. Olympic gold 4 years ago in Korea. Doctors are confident.
On the track, the blue day had brought glory to another Italian, Elena Curtoni, who won the super-G in 1.20.98, confirming the blue dominance in the discipline. For the 30-year-old sprinter from Valtellina it is the second success in her career after the victory in the Bansko downhill in 2020, a worthy culmination of a season that has already seen her on the podium twice, always in super-G, in St. Moritz and in the Val d ‘Isere. Behind her the Austrian Tamara Tippler in 1.21.07 and the Swiss Michelle Gisin in 1.21.22. For Italy – with sun and perfect track – in this super-G there is also the fourth good place of Federica Brignone who is now at the top of the discipline classification ahead of Curtoni and Goggia.
In Kitzbuehel, however, still no glory for Italy and instead there was a Swiss triumph in the second downhill of the cup on the entire route of the legendary Streif. Beat Feuz won in 1.56.58 – 34 years and 16th career success – which already won the Streif twice last year, ahead of compatriot Marco Odermatt in 1.56.89, increasingly alone with 1,200 points in the race to win the world cup. Only third in representation of the hosts the Austrian Daniel Hemetsberger, well detached in 1.57.58. For Italy the best was Dominik Paris, 7 / o in 1.57.95, with Christof Innerhofer 9 / o in 1.58.11. –