It's Federica Brignone Show in Courchevel
Dec 17, 2019·Alpine Skiing
Tuesday's race in Courchevel marks the start of the triad of French races that continue in Val D'Isere.
The Club des Sport in Courchevel invested on the track and extended it by about 200m adding some more terrain, and it contributed to make the course more technical and fun.
Three of the racers who skied down the renovated slope have had more fun than others and mostly Federica Brignone who edged first-run leader Mina Fuerst Holtmann.
Brignone trailed Holtmann by 0.13 seconds in third place after the opening run, but the Italian posted the fifth-fastest time in the second to win by four-hundredths.
It was Brignone's 11th career World Cup win and sixth in GS, but first in more than a year. In previous World Cup events, Brignone had twice second place in the Killington giant and last weekend in Sankt Moritz in Super G won by her teammate, Sofia Goggia. Thanks to the result of Courchevel, she rose momentarily to the first place in the speciality standing.
Mina Fuerst Holtmann (NOR) stepped on a World Cup podium for the first time, in her third year on the circuit. It's not a special day just for the Norwegian skier but also for Wendy Holdener (SUI) who trailed Brignone by 0.44 in third for her first career podium in the discipline.
Overall leader Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) failed to match the pace of the leading racers in both runs and finished 1.65 behind in 17th.
The women will now cross the valley and will head to Val D'Isere for a whole speed week.
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