First time for Lucia Dalmasso

First time for Lucia Dalmasso

Parallel Italy continues to dominate, treating itself to an all-Italian final in the women’s parallel giant slalom with Lucia Dalmasso scoring her first career victory in the World Cup, ahead of Jasmin Coratti, in turn on the podium for the first time in the top circuit. A triumph that for the Bellunese Dalmasso comes in the heart of a season that has seen her so far second in the trials in Davos (in slalom) and Cortina d’Ampezzo (giant).

In the final, the duel between the two azzurre è ended with the premature exit of Jasmin Coratti, in the first final of her career. The last Italian success in the Women’s Parallel World Cup was dated December 2018 by Nadya Ochner, who just last month ended her competitive career. As far as the season as a whole is concerned, this is the third victory for the Italian sector after the December highlights of Maurizio Bormolini and Daniele Bagozza. Widening the view, an all-Italian final in the women’s field has not happened since the early 2000s: in January 2001 at Plan de Corones Marion Posch got the better of Carmen Ranigler.

After the qualifying round, Dalmasso was able to reach the decisive challenge by overcoming in the order Swiss Jenny Ladina, German Cheyenne Loch and experienced Austrian Claudia Riegler, who shortly before had gotten the better of Elisa Caffont, the third Italian woman able to make it to the main draw and fifth in the final ranking. Meanwhile, at the top of the scoreboard, Jasmin Coratti got the better of Switzerland’s Julie Zogg in the round of 16 and Germany’s Melanie Hochreiter in the quarters, to thus merit her first final in the confrontation with Japan’s Tsubaki Miki, then third.

“I am really happy with this first victory – said an enthusiastic Lucia Dalmasso thrilled at the end of the competition -. Challenging between azzurre azzurre in the final è a bit’ like feeling at home. I am sorry that Jasmin then made a mistake but she deserves this first podium".

Next to her Coratti è in turn beaming: I really don’t know what to say, è it was a perfect day and I am really happy to be able to share my first podium with Lucia".

Fourth place, on the other hand, for Roland Fischnaller in the men’s event: after giving way in the semifinals to Slovenia’s Tin Mastnak, the South Tyrolean had to surrender instead in the Small Final to the equally experienced Andreas Promenegger, with Benjamin Karl finally signing the all-Austrian final.

Fischnaller’s path had in the quarters put an end to Aaron March (seventh), winning in the Battery over’s another Italian Daniele Bagozza (tenth), while Maurizio Bormolini (13th) and Edwin Coratti (ninth) had surrendered in the first round against Germany’s Elias Huber and Slovenia’s Zan Kosir; unqualified in the morning Mirko Felicetti.