Sestriere: a slalom that couldn’t be more special

The Kandahar G.A. Agnelli slope this morning presented itself in perfect conditions for the two special slalom heats that closed the World Cup weekend in Sestriere. The slalom was won by Swiss Wendy Holdener (1:56.29), followed by American Mikaela Shiffrin (+0.47) and Slovakian Petra Vlhova (+0.70). The American and the Swiss evidently love Sestriere, as they also shared the slalom podium together at the foot of the Kandahar G.A. Agnelli in 2016 (six years ago first the American, third the Swiss).

For today’s winner, Wendy Holdener, “This is crazy! I almost don’t believe it, but it’s true. My second run is without a doubt the best race I have done until now. When I was at the start, I heard that Mikaela was ahead of everyone: I gave my best, I really believed it.”

“We did and redid the track several times, four to be exact” explains Elena Gaja des Ambrois, Race Director. “In the end, the weather was kind and gave us two fantastic days, with the athletes running two magnificent races”.

The cold temperatures maintained the work done by the track team, allowing a unique spectacle for the fans who literally invaded the finish line: today there were around 10,000 people, for a total of over 23,000 over the two days. The great thing about this crowd is not just the number but the participation: flags, flagpoles, trumpets, clapping, singing. A real wave of colour and warmth in support of the world’s best athletes, who appreciated and thanked them several times. Among them were also the two beginners Lucrezia Lorenzi, who grew up competitively right here in Sestriere, and Beatrice Sola.

“We are extremely satisfied!” says Gualtiero Brasso, President of the Organising Committee “As you know, the run up to our races was very complicated, a path full of challenges. Challenges that today I would like to say we have overcome and can consider ourselves very satisfied. Ski World Cup is a very important event for Sestriere and for the entire Piedmont: we are confident in the future. Sestriere is there!”.