Dominik Paris enthusiastic about the Saslong: "The engine still runs well"

Dominik Paris is still a protagonist on the Saslong, a third place that brings him back among the top 3 for the 51st time in his career, behind only the Swiss Odermatt and Von Allmen. “I’d say it’s a good warm-up for Saturday and Sunday’s races – were the words of the Italian champion – I’m definitely satisfied, if I’m this far in front it means I had a good downhill. I still need to adjust something but I feel loose, I can push and the engine still feels good. It&#8217s good to meet at the finish line, sometimes you&#8217re happier, sometimes less: today both Odermatt and I are happy and so the hug fits’s us”.

“Too bad I made a mistake on the entry to Ciaslat, but I solved it well – added Paris -. Maybe I lost second place there, but the podium is still a great result. I cannot say today how superG and downhill will be on Saturday: in Beaver Creek I did well in superG, I hope to be able to go strong here in Val Gardena as well. The team did a super performance, both Casse with l’1 and Schieder, and who knows it might not be the Azzurri dominating a podium soon”. However, the performance of the entire blue team was excellent, placing six athletes in the upper echelons of the rankings.

“The wait was long but that&#8217s part of the game– said Mattia Casse -. I had nice long jumps, but managed well. I left a little bit in the section after the moguls, but I skied much better than in the test, with a good rhythm and that definitely bodes well”. “I was already feeling pretty good, I left something at Ciaslat: I still don–t have the confidence to pull that section to the maximum – is instead the’admission of Florian Schieder -. I knew I had to stay soft and I repeated it to myself on every pass: being so many Azzurri high up in the standings gives a lot of confidence, both to us and to the fans”.

Satisfied also Christof Innerhofer: “I kept my concentration high at the start, I knew that the reduced test could suit me. I kept good tactics, I could have skied a little better at Ciaslat but it is a result that is good for confidence”. Thus, on the other hand, Benjamin Alliod: “An’eternal wait, I couldn&#8217t wait anymore. I came down loaded and when I got there the speed exploded. I believed in this result, and I am glad it finally came. I could have done a little more on Ciaslat, but I will have chances tomorrow and Saturday to try again. Confidence is essential to grow and to cultivate the dream of participating in the Olympics”.

“I have always struggled in the sliding parts: I worked hard on it and I was more aware today. I repeated to myself that I had to seize the opportunity, with the track speeding up. But I certainly didn&#8217t expect such a result. The super-G is a little bit difficult, I am more nervous: but I will face the next races without pressure and give my best. On Saturday in the full downhill I will try to repeat myself and I am very confident. Seeing from the top the results of others has really stimulated me” are the words, finally, of Giovanni Franzoni.