After a disappointing speed race, Lara Gut-Behrami wins silver in the team combined with Wendy Holdener. She will therefore go into the giant slalom on Thursday with a tailwind.
13.02.2025, 04:30
13.02.2025, 06:42
SDA
"She delivered, I'll do the talking." At the award ceremony on Tuesday evening, Lara Gut-Behrami took over the microphone for the visibly emotional Wendy Holdener. Thanks to her strong slalom run, the duo had improved from 12th to 2nd place in the afternoon and secured silver in the team combined.
Gut-Behrami had fallen short of her potential in the downhill in the morning and, as in the special downhill and super-G, did not really get to grips with the "Ulli Maier slope". On Thursday, she swapped the long speed skis for the slightly shorter giant slalom poles. She was crowned world champion in the basic discipline four years ago in Cortina d'Ampezzo. Two years ago in Méribel, she missed out on bronze by just nine hundredths.
Improvement run by Gut-Behrami
If the World Championships had taken place last year, the Ticino native would have arrived as the absolute top favorite, after all, she already had four victories and two second places to her name at the same point in the previous season.
This season, the 33-year-old is not yet performing to her liking, even if she has improved. After missing the opening race in Sölden, she finished 13th, 9th, 6th and 2nd in succession. At Kronplatz, in the last giant slalom before the World Championships, she was only beaten by Alice Robinson.
A trio in the role of favorites
The New Zealander has only failed to finish on the podium in one of five races this season and leads the giant slalom rankings. Two-time season winners Federica Brignone and Sara Hector are also among the favourites. The Italian won silver two years ago behind Shiffrin, who skipped the giant slalom after her crash in Killington. The Swedish Olympic champion has yet to win an individual medal at the World Championships.
Camille Rast was the second Swiss woman to make it onto the podium this season. The 25-year-old from Valais came third in Killington. Wendy Holdener and Michelle Gisin complete the quartet.
For a Swiss podium finish, three of the four Swiss women would have to excel. For Gut-Behrami, it could be enough if she simply "delivers".
