Mattia Casse reveals the secret of his first triumph at age 34
It’s a beaming Mattia Casse at the end of the Val Gardena super-G that saw him win the first World Cup success of his career.
“It’ a result that comes from afar, in a career of ups and downs – tells the 34-year-old Piedmontese of the Fiamme Oro – The sport è changed in recent years, the’ageà got longer. I am working well, I feel like a youngster and as long as it è lasts, on with it. It wasnè t easy today. Max Carca in reconnaissance had told me to believe that these are my ideal conditions. And’ it’ s true, è just so;: in Val Gardena conditions change quickly and Goldberg made me tremble but today the cents proved me right”.
It was precisely in Val Gardena, but in the downhill, that Casse had stood on the podium for the first time in 2022 when he was third.
“To be performing in Italy è always nice, it gives you more attention, è everything “moreù” than in other locations, although winning è beautiful everywhere. It’s all very exciting and I want to enjoy this moment, but tomorrow is another race, in a very long season. I improved a lot and it shows, but I think I can be even more solid. There’è s been a technical evolution in this last period, I have been able to work well with the materials but there have also been changes for the better within the team, with young people like Franzoni giving us a hard time. And I think today is a very good result for the whole team. I have always said and maintained that the team is there’è and I am convinced that we will have fun in the’winter. I remain convinced of what I have done and what we have to do: the season è beginning and this first race in Europe è went well”.
A day that is truly worth a career, enhancing a journey that began fifteen years ago in the highest circuit.
“It’ has been a not short career, so far quite long, I started early, in 2009 in Bormio. Then a series of ups and downs but I was good at not giving up, even though at one moment I was theì theì to do it. But I told myself that I would go ahead on my own terms, that is, to give precedence to my feelings, to my feeling. In the last few years a very close group has è formed, a united team. My è has been a career with several injuries that left me with seven screws in my joints, between both ankles and a knee, in addition to the shoulder fracture. Right here in Val Gardena in 2022 I was on the podium for the first time with a third place in the downhill. Today I had a number one race and è came this success”.
Tenth place for Dominik Paris who now looks forward to Saturday’s downhill. “Too bad, I made a mistake in the flatter section and it wasnè t optimal for me. On this slope if you go off the track you lose and to me it took a little bit; the ski and I lost ground. I followed Mattia’s race and I told myself that he had done a great race and to try to beat him you had to risk the most. Tomorrow’s downhill I think will hold surprises after the snowfall overnight. I think we canà make some more considerations tomorrow morning before the start”.
