The FIS slalom on the Schilthorn becomes a Swiss festival - if it weren't for a 16-year-old Italian from Naples. Despite very high start numbers, Giada d'Antonio broke the Swiss dominance and took two victories in her first two professional races.
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- The 16-year-old Italian Giada d'Antonio surprisingly won both FIS slaloms on the Schilthorn. These were her first two professional appearances.
- On Wednesday, D'Antonio skied to victory with bib number 82, on Thursday with bib number 63.
- With her impressive performance, the Italian first prevented a Swiss 12-fold victory, and a day later even a 13-fold victory.
Two FIS slaloms took place on the Schilthorn on Wednesday and Thursday. This is the third highest category after the World Cup and European Cup. The FIS races are mainly attended by young athletes as their first step into professional skiing. It is therefore hardly surprising that the race on the Schilthorn in the Bernese Alps was mainly attended by Swiss women.
And Switzerland almost celebrated a 12-fold victory on Wednesday. If it wasn't for Giada d'Antonio. The Italian raced to a sensational fourth place in the first run with bib number 82 (there were 84 athletes at the start). In the second run, d'Antonio took 0.9 seconds or more off the competition and improved to first place thanks to this clear best run time. She relegated Elyssa Kuster and Minna Bont (the daughter of former SRF expert Michi Bont and former World Cup skier Corina Bont, then still Grünenfelder) to second and third place.
And places 4 to 13 were also occupied exclusively by Swiss women. The riders in 5th and 6th place also have well-known names: sisters Sophia and Anna Flatscher. Parents of the two: Former ski star Sonja Nef and Hans Flatscher (Head of Alpine Skiing at Swiss-Ski).
One day later, on Thursday, Giada d'Antonio doubles up. This time, she starts the first run with bib 63 and still outclasses the competition with a lead of a second or more. In the second run, the Italian managed to maintain her lead and skied to her second victory in her second FIS race. This time, 13 Swiss women finished in a row behind her. Sarina Dörig is second, losing 0.45 seconds, while Elyssa Kuster is third, 0.48 behind.
Is Italy threatened by the next "Colturi case"?
But who is this skiing jewel Giada D'Antonio? Born in Naples, the daughter of an Italian dentist and a Colombian-Ecuadorian mother, she lives in San Sebastiano al Vesuvio, at the foot of the Vesuvius volcano, and is a member of the Vesuvio Ski Club.
The 16-year-old D'Antonio has now competed in her first ever professional races on the Schilthorn and immediately claimed two impressive victories. So does Italy have a new skiing talent? Her coach Carlo Ceccato said in an interview with www.sciaremag.it (quoted via skinews.ch) as early as 2022: "She is a talented girl, physically gifted, a gift of nature."
D'Antonio ski outfitter Head is not surprised by the 16-year-old's strong results. Rainer Salzgeber, Head's head of racing, says: "Thomas Tuti, our service man for the Italians, has been extremely enthusiastic about this young athlete for a long time. Based on what Thomas has told me so far, the latest results are no great surprise to me. It will be exciting to see how Giada develops."
This brings back memories of Lara Colturi, who also achieved excellent results at a young age. However, she then switched to the Albanian federation and at the age of 19 has already reached the top of the world rankings. The Italian federation will be wary of losing another young talent - especially a skier with international roots.
