Soelden, Norwegian dominance but exults Alex Vinatzer: “Good to be there”

Norwegian dominance, but blue skiing canò smile as well.

Norway dominant in the first men’s giant slalom of the Cup in Soelden. In fact, as many as three athletes from the Scandinavian country occupied the podium, with the fourth (although he has now changed flags) just below. After the monologue of Alexander Steen Olsen, Henrik Kristoffersen, Atle Lie McGrath and Lucas Pinheiro Braathen ticks forò Alex Vinatzer, fifth and at the best result ever in the specialtyà.

Winning in Soelden, however, è as mentioned for the second time in his career was a splendid Alexander Steen Olsen with a time of 2'09''50, followed by a rediscovered Henrik Kristoffersen, who appeared much cleaner than last year and was 65 hundredths behind his teammate. Third è Atle Lie McGrath, just one hundredth behind his own captain. In fourth place was an overflowing Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, already good at qualifying in the first with the number 41, but outstanding in the second, registering the best partial that earned him the recovery of 15 positions, up to fourth place overall at 24 hundredths from the podium.

Excellent fifth place, and best result of his career equaled, for Alex Vinatzer, definitely more convincing in the second run than in the first one and recovering 8 positions, thanks to the fourth time in the second split. The Gardena native has now found continuity between the wide gates and is only a small step away from climbing the specialty podium. Tenth è instead Luca De Aliprandini, 19th Giovanni Borsotti.

"I was much more ù bad in the first part – commented Vinatzer -. At the beginning of the wall I could have been even more ù incisive, but it didn’t show very well. Fifth place è a good placing, è good time in the second heat. È nice to be theì to play with the best".