False start for the men’s alpine skiing World Cup season. The men’s giant in Sölden, Austria, the traditional first race of winter, was canceled on Sunday October 29 due to “extreme wind”, organizers announced.
The event was interrupted around 11 a.m. after 47 of the 73 skiers entered. The start, normally at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters, had already been lowered due to strong gusts at the top of the Rettenbach glacier. Last year, the weather conditions got the better of the women’s race.
Results not taken into account
Among the skiers who were able to complete the first run, it was the Austrian Marco Schwarz who had the best time, followed by the Swiss Marco Odermatt and the Frenchman Alexis Pinturault. The results will not be taken into account. “Of course it’s a shame. As an athlete we are all a little disappointed,” reacted Pinturault. At the start of the race, “the weather was pretty good, the conditions were good, the track was really well prepared so it made for a great show overall.”
But that “extreme wind” late in the morning and even worse forecasts for the rest of the afternoon prompted organizers to call an end to the event. Below, the arch signifying the arrival was shaken by the gusts and was quickly dismantled. Images from Austrian television showed the giant’s doors being completely blown away.
The day before, the Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami, double world champion in 2021, won during the giant in the Austrian resort. She beat the Italian Federica Brignone, second by 2 hundredths of a second, and the Slovakian Petra Vlhova, third by 14 hundredths of a second.
The next World Cup races are scheduled for November 11 and 12 with two new descents between Zermatt (Switzerland) and Cervinia (Italy). Announced with great fanfare, this spectacular stage at the foot of the iconic Matterhorn was also canceled in 2022 due to lack of snow.
