Wendy Holdener conjures up a dream run in the combined slalom at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach and secures World Championship silver for the Holdener/Gut-Behrami team. Her teammate sings her praises in the finish area.
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- Wendy Holdener and Lara Gut-Behrami secure the first medal for the Swiss women at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach in the third race and win silver in the combined team event.
- Wendy Holdener played a big part in the podium finish, setting the fastest time in the slalom and making up for Gut-Behrami's deficit from the downhill.
- No wonder, Gut-Behrami is full of praise for her teammate at the finish and says: "I didn't ski that fast, but it was still enough for a medal. Hats off to Wendy."
After the first part of the team combined, which is celebrating its premiere at the World Championships in Saalbach, things are looking bleak for the Swiss medal hopes. The co-favorites Corinne Suter and Lara Gut-Behrami are more than a second behind in the downhill, presenting the slalom aces with difficult tasks.
Wendy Holdener in particular masters these with flying colors. Starting from 12th place, the 31-year-old starts the great race to catch up, sets the fastest time in the slalom and actually leads her team to second place.
Trembling in the finish area
But the duo had to suffer until the medal was in the bag. "When I was at the finish line and had to wait, I was already very nervous. Lara tried to calm me down. But I was shaking until the end," Holdener admits in the SRF interview.
The wait also left its mark on Gut-Behrami. "I didn't know what to do at the finish. During Wendy's run, I hid on the other side. Because I don't like it at all when the camera is on me, when I can't control myself like that," says the skier from Ticino.
Gut-Behrami has nothing but words of praise for her team-mate's brilliant performance. "95 percent of the medal belongs to Wendy today," emphasizes the 33-year-old and explains how the duo came together in the first place: "I talked to my dad. Wendy is a force in the slalom, when it comes to team competitions, she's a force. I can learn a lot from her. I thought it would be cool to do it with her when I go to the start."
Also competing at the Olympics?
Holdener provides impressive confirmation of this. "She proved that today. I didn't ski that fast, but it was still enough for a medal. Hats off to Wendy," enthuses Gut-Behrami and is delighted with the new format: "It's a cool competition and it's fun. And I couldn't have wished for a better teammate than Wendy."
Holdener gives praise back to the self-critical Gut-Behrami. "She did a good performance. Sure, she wanted to be faster. But I knew that I had to go all in," says Holdener. "It worked out well in the end. We did a good job today." And this may just be the beginning.
Next year, the team combined will also be part of the program at the Olympic Games in Cortina. The two silver medallists seem anything but reluctant. "We hope that we can fight for it again next year," confirms Holdener. Meanwhile, Gut-Behrami jokes with regard to today's gap to the winners Johnson and Shiffrin: "I'll see if I can make up the four tenths of a second next year in Cortina."
