Cross Alps tour crowns 2018/19 champions
Dec 22, 2018·Ski Cross
The final competition of the 2018 Cross Alps Tour took to a demanding course in Innichen/San Candido (ITA) on Saturday, where Sweden’s Sandra Naeslund claimed the victory and to defend her Cross Alps Tour title, and Switzerland’s Joos Berry claimed the first win of his career to help Switzerland earn the 2018 CAT top nation honours. Bastien Midol (FRA), second place for the second day in row, earned the men’s CAT top athlete honours.
While this season’s Cross Alps Tour was a shortened one due to a pair of cancellations earlier in December, the events that were featured did not disappoint, and Saturday was no exception.
After Tour leader and winner of both of this season’s two previous races Fanny Smith (SUI) was relegated to the small final earlier in the day, the door was open on the ladies’ side for a new winner this season. And, with back-to-back runner-up results leading up to race two in Innichen, Naeslund was the skier in the right position to pounce.
Jumping out to an early lead that Canada’s Marielle Thompson challenged briefly before falling behind, Naeslund would have a clear course ahead of her for the bottom 2/3 of the course, slicing her way to her third straight podium to start the season and her 10th career World Cup victory.
“It feels great to be back on top,” said Naeslund of her first victory of the season, “I got some confidence yesterday and kept believing in my skiing. I knew that Marielle (Thompson) was really fast in the upper and middle part of the course, so my coach said don’t give her any chance, just go for it, and it worked out.”
After a fourth-place finish in Friday’s race, Thompson made her way back onto the podium with the second-place result on Friday, giving her two podiums in three races in her comeback season after missing all of 2017/18 with a knee injury.
“I was pretty happy with how I skied yesterday, but I knew I could ski better and I took it up a notch today,” said Thompson, “I’m stoked to go home with two podiums and three final appearances after coming back from injury.”
Luedi, no stranger to knee injuries herself, earned her first podium in nearly five years, and after three strong showings to start the season it appears the Swiss veteran is finally back in the form that had her finish fourth overall in the SX World Cup back in 2011/12.
After washing out on the final turn of the ladies’ big final, Marielle Berger Sabbatel (FRA) would finish in fourth.
Berry takes maiden World Cup victory, Midol crowned 2018 Cross Alps Tour winner
On the men’s side of things, Berry’s victory was a remarkable one, coming against the Midol brothers Jonathan and Bastien, who had finished first and second in Friday’s race in a history-making performance, and who seemed destined to repeat themselves on Saturday.
Berry, however, had other ideas, making a daring pass on Bastien Midol on the Innichen course’s negative turn and then holding off the younger of the two brothers through the super-G turns in the course’s final stretch to take the win and help the Swiss squad to their reward as top team of the 2018 Cross Alps Tour.
“It feels very good,” Berry said from the finish area, “I know I can be fast, and today I proved it. It was a great day and I’m very happy.”
Bastien Midol would once again have to settle for the runner-up result, though with two podiums and a fourth place finish in the three December races he would end the day with his trophy in hand as the men’s 2018 Cross Alps Tour winner.
“It’s an amazing start of the season for me, and I’m very happy to finish the Tour with the leader’s bib” said Midol, “And it’s very crazy to share two podiums in two days with my brother. It’s been a perfect weekend.”
And, after going nearly five years without a World Cup podium, Jonathan Midol would end his time this season in Innichen with a win on Friday and a third-place finish on Saturday. Paul Eckert (GER), meanwhile, was for the second day in a row the odd-man-out in fourth place.
In all, the Swiss team would claim six podiums through the three 2018 Cross Alps Tour competitions to take the nations title.
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