The women start their last race at the World Championships in Saalbach on Saturday. The Swiss women are among the medal contenders in the slalom.
15.02.2025, 05:00
15.02.2025, 09:12
SDA
The Swiss-Ski women have taken six podium places in the seven World Cup slaloms so far this winter. Half of them are due to Wendy Holdener, the other half to Camille Rast. The 25-year-old from Valais achieved her first top three finish in Gurgl in third place and celebrated her first World Cup victory a week later in Killington - ahead of Holdener. In mid-January, she followed this up in Flachau and once again won ahead of the Swabian, who finished in 2nd place in Salzburgerland for the third time this season.
"This season has already exceeded my expectations," says Rast. She wanted to establish herself in the top 7 in the slalom and finish in the top 15 in the giant slalom. She is currently leading the slalom rankings and is ninth in the giant slalom. With regard to the World Championship slalom, the Valais native is under no pressure: "Since Killington, it's all bonus."
Medal collector and outsider
Unlike Holdener, Rast has yet to win a World Championship medal. She has already stood on the podium eight times at the World Championships, including twice in Saalbach, where she secured silver in both team competitions. The 31-year-old has the certainty of being fast on the slopes. After all, she set the best time in the slalom in the team combined.
Mélanie Meillard has not yet made it onto the World Cup podium for the first time this season. However, she has always finished in the top ten. Often she was only just short of the top three, so why not surprise everyone on the biggest possible stage? "There are so many people in contention for a medal," she says. "My season has been better than ever. I know what I can do."
For Eliane Christen, it's all about gaining experience at her first World Championships.
Top favorite and grand champion
Zrinka Ljutic and Mikaela Shiffrin are pursuing other goals. The 21-year-old Croatian stepped into the limelight during the American's absence due to injury, winning three races and inevitably putting herself in the position of top favorite for World Championship gold. It would be her first precious metal at a major event.
Shiffrin is in a different sphere in this respect. The 29-year-old made an impressive return to the World Championship stage after her injury and celebrated the title in the team combined together with downhill world champion Breezy Johnson. She skipped the World Championship giant slalom after her crash in Killington with a view to her showpiece discipline. With another medal, Shiffrin would surpass Christl Cranz as the most successful medal collector at World Championships. The German won 15 World Championship medals between 1934 and 1939.
