A 6th place as the lone highlight in St. Moritz: the start to the women's speed season has been mixed from a Swiss perspective. Head coach Beat Tschuor sorts things out.
14.12.2025, 13:31
SDA
Malorie Blanc ensured that there was still a top 10 finish to celebrate on Sunday. With her 6th place in the super-G, the Valais skier boosted her results somewhat. Overall, however, the Swiss women had little to do with the top places in the Engadin.
The fact that there was no Swiss woman in the top 5 only happened twice in 15 speed races last season. However, it is also clear who was mainly responsible for the successes: Lara Gut-Behrami and Corinne Suter. After their absences, Michelle Gisin was to take over the role of team leader. She was the fastest Swiss skier in the first training session, followed by a devastating crash in the second. Following operations on her cervical spine and wrist, she was also diagnosed with a torn cruciate and medial collateral ligament in her knee.
A lot of negative things have come together in recent weeks, says Beat Tschuor, the women's head coach. He hopes that one or two athletes will manage to step out of the shadows in the absence of the leaders in the speed team. But he also knows that this will take time. It is therefore clear to him: "In the speed sector, we have to be patient in the long term."
Unintentional focus on Blanc
The big ray of hope is Malorie Blanc. The 21-year-old was the best Swiss racer in Friday's downhill (13th) and achieved her best ever World Cup result in this discipline in the super-G on Sunday. "She is an exceptional example," says Tschuor about the young athlete, who is only competing in her second World Cup season. The coach is therefore critical of the fact that media interest is now focusing on her. "It would be wrong to give her all the responsibility right now." The motto is: wait and see and let her develop.
Jasmine Flury has also "found her way back into race mode" on her comeback, as the 32-year-old from Graubünden says. She set a strong example with 11th place in the downhill on Saturday. She is also expected to take on the role of team leader. However, both the 2023 downhill world champion and her coaches emphasize that after almost two years away from racing, Flury wants to take the necessary time to carefully return to her former form.
Crisis management is the order of the day
In view of the major injury problems in the Swiss team, top results in St. Moritz would have come as a surprise. Tschuor is well aware of this, and for the most part is protective of his athletes. Nevertheless, he has some criticism: "I missed the excitement, the spirit, in the first downhill training on Wednesday. Especially in a home race, you have to use every ounce of momentum to get ready for race day. I didn't see that in everyone."
According to Tschuor, the next few days will be all about "crisis management". This means dealing with the recent accumulation of bad news. It's about finding the right way forward for everyone. "Despite everything, we have to look ahead. If we coaches have a negative aura or are dejected, this also has an effect on the athletes."
While Gut-Behrami and probably also Gisin will miss the entire season, Suter should be back in competition in January. Next weekend in Val d'Isère, however, the Swiss women will once again have to make do without their current team leaders.
