Dominik Paris also wins SuperG, equaled by Thoeni
Paris’ victory
Dominik Paris will long remember his success in the men’s super-giant in Kvitfjell that closed the three-day speed event on Olympiabakken, on a course shortened with the start at the Russi jump due to fog, which saw in the order of arrival as many as 18 competitors packed into the space of 1″. On a slope where the slightest mistake cost dearly, the 35-year-old Carabinieri forest ranger from Val d’Ultimo made a flawless performance, with a powerful but light skiing at the same time, allowing him to return to the highest step of the podium in this specialty in the World Cup six years after his last triumph, achieved in March 2019 in Grand Valira, Andorra. And what is more important, he climbs to 24 career victories, joining in the men’s field in the special gradutoria reserved for Italian multiple winners a legend like Gustavo Thoeni, in second position behind the’unreachable Alberto Tomba.
Behind Paris è placed Canada’s James Crawford, 38 hundredths behind, while Slovenia’s Miha Hrobat stole the third step of the podium from Marco Odermatt, who was 47 hundredths off. Italy also celebrated the 15th place of an increasingly convincing Giovanni Franzoni at 83 hundredths, while Christof Innerhofer earned enough points to earn qualification for the specialty finals scheduled in Sun Valley. Out of the points were Benjamin Alliod, Max Perathoner, Nicolò Molteni and Matteo Franzoso, and Marco Abbruzzese and Florian Schieder withdrew.
The rich haul collected over the weekend in Kvitfjell (an impressive 240 points) allows Paris to move up in all the rankings: in the overall he enters the top ten in ninth place with 524 points, where Odermatt consolidates the lead with 1516 points against Henrik Kristoffersen’s 946; and also in the supergiant, where Odermatt precedes with 491 points Vincent Kriechmayr with 281 and Stefan Rogentin with 271. Paris è fourth with 262 and Mattia Casse (who will undergo surgery Monday on his elbow to try on his return to Sun Valley) fifth with 260. The next World Cup event è still set in Norway, but in Hafjell, with a giant slalom on Saturday, March 15, and a slalom on Sunday, March 16.
