Setback for Hütter, Super-G victory goes to Brignone

The Styrian only ended up in seventh place on Sunday (+1.27 seconds). Hütter would have to catch up with Lara Gut-Behrami, who came second behind the untouchable Italian Federica Brignone (+0.61), by 69 points on March 22nd in Salzburg. Brignone is also still involved, 74 points behind the Swiss.

Behind Ester Ledecka (CZE/+0.79), Kajsa Vickhoff Lie (NOR) and Lauren Macuga (USA), Stephanie Venier finished sixth (+1.26) and was the best Austrian, but mathematically she no longer has a chance of making it to Super-G -Crystal. Behind Hütter, Ariane Rädler also made it into the top ten in eighth place (+1.33). Mirjam Puchner missed a wave in the lower section and then had no chance (+3.42).

Lots of interruptions due to fog

The race developed into a hanging game. Banks of fog kept rolling over the lower part of the route. Many interruptions and bad luck were the result. After numbers 3 (Rädler) and 15 (Gut-Behrami) there was a longer stop. In the meantime, a termination did not seem unlikely. Two and a half hours after the planned start of the eighth Super-G of the season, not all runners had yet reached the finish line.

“I should have driven a few passages more uncompromisingly. When I start to think while driving, it’s usually not that fast. That’s what happened to me today,” said Hütter after her weakest Super-G result this winter. She spoke of what felt like a safe race. “That’s more important than fair or not fair.”

She didn’t feel very comfortable on the skis that day, and Hütter bravely accepted the setback. With home advantage behind her, the Styrian wants to “put everything on one card” in order to become the first Austrian since Renate Götschl in 2006/07 to immortalize herself with Super-G crystal. “Everything is possible up to the last race. That was my goal for the season. Please everyone come to Saalbach,” Hütter made an appeal to the ORF television viewers.

Hütter was only able to keep up with Brignone’s unleashed drive in the upper part. As with her previous day’s win above, Gut-Behrami lost a lot of time, but kept the deficit within limits in the final part. The Swiss course setter had turned it around, which benefited the strong giant slalomists. The running time (1:37.30) was almost four seconds higher than the day before.

“There are two high-quality technicians at the front again, that’s no coincidence,” said Venier. “Fede and Lara are in brutally good shape. You could send them down in a complete fog and they would still be in front.” She left a better placement and crystal chance with a wide line in the final part. “I’m not going to let it spoil my mood. It’s still the season of my career, it’s really cool.”

Mental strength at Brignone

Brignone could no longer be seen on TV at times, but once again showed off her mental maturity when flying blind. “If the visibility is bad, it’s good for me,” said the now four-time season winner. “It wasn’t easy, I had a lot of fog. But I had the Super-G in my head and tried everything.”

In the overall World Cup, a preliminary decision was made to the disadvantage of the major absentees. With six races still remaining – including two giant slaloms and slaloms – Mikaela Shiffrin would already have to catch up with 385 points on Gut-Behrami, who is still in top form. Brignone is now second, 326 points behind. Before the Saalbach final, a giant slalom and a slalom will take place in Are. In Sweden, Shiffrin also wants to return after her injury break.