World Cup
Ski racer Weidle Super-G fourth in Kvitfjell
Kira Weidle came fourth in the Super-G in Kvitfjell. photo
© Alessandro Trovati/AP/dpa
It was almost enough for the podium: ski racer Kira Weidle achieved the best race of her season in Norway. The winner goes to the favorite who is very close to overall success.
When the Swiss overall World Cup leader Lara Gut-Behrami won, she was only 16 hundredths of a second short of the podium. This was completed by Cornelia Hütter (+0.12 seconds) and her Austrian teammate Mirjam Puchner (+0.13).
Weidle, who was ranked at the same time as Pyeongchang Olympic champion Ester Ledecka (Czech Republic), has had two seventh places as the best Super-G results in her career so far. In what has been a disappointing season so far, she has never finished that far ahead in her actual specialist discipline, downhill.
“Good for the soul and heart”
The result “positively surprised” her, said the 28-year-old on ZDF. The training is finally paying off and self-confidence also increases through such achievements. So far this winter, the athlete from Starnberg has not achieved more than two ninth places.
“I’ll be happy if things are moving forward again somewhere. The season hasn’t gone to my liking so far. But every good result is good for the soul and the heart.” Teammate Emma Aicher came 23rd (+2.00), Katrin Hirtl-Stanggaßinger came 34th (+2.75).
A downhill run was actually planned for Saturday – but because mandatory training was not possible due to the bad weather of the past few days, the organizers canceled the race and scheduled a Super-G instead. Another Super-G is scheduled for Sunday (11 a.m./ZDF and Eurosport).
Gut-Behrami before preliminary decision in the fight for the big ball
Then Gut-Behrami can ensure a preliminary decision in the fight for the overall World Cup. With her success on Saturday, the Swiss increased her lead over the still injured Mikaela Shiffrin to 305 points. The American won’t start on Sunday either – so the gap to Gut-Behrami could become even bigger. With only six events remaining after that, the Swiss will probably no longer be able to catch her in the fight for the big crystal ball.