Can the Schmidts hold off the chasing pack in Alleghe?
Jan 30, 2024·Ski Cross
At the end of the FIS Ski Cross World Cup event in St. Moritz over the weekend, Schmidt siblings Hannah and Jared stood together to be photographed as the overall leaders in their respective categories.
"I think it's pretty cool to share it with my brother," Hannah Schmidt said. "It's definitely a moment in time that I'm never going to forget."
Their outcomes were the same as they stood side by side, but their journeys to that point were quite different.
Jared Schmidt started the season on day one in Val Thorens by not making it into the quarter-finals, but thereafter blew the competition away with victory on day two followed by wins in the night race in Arosa and day one in Innichen.
His rivals were unable to match his consistency, and he quickly opened up a healthy lead over them.
However, the 26-year-old has not quite managed to match those heights since, and after finishes of 27th, 18th, 13th and 49th thereafter, the chasing pack has arrived. Compatriot Reece Howden is just 22 points behind Schmidt in second place in the standings, with French pair Terence Tchiknavorian and Youri Duplessis Kergomard close behind in third and fourth respectively.
Alex Fiva found some form to make his way to fifth after podium places in two of the last three races, while Austria’s Tristan Takats and Germany’s Florian Wilmsmann are still within touching distance of the frontrunners.
There was also a first ever World Cup win for current world champion Simone Deromedis in St. Moritz last time out.
It means the competition is truly hotting up as the athletes head to Alleghe in Italy for the ninth and tenth races of a World Cup season which spans 19 events in total.
With the halfway mark of the campaign set to be reached this weekend, will we see Howden kick on from his first win in Nakiska on his way to defending his Crystal Globe crown? Or will Tchiknavorian match his heroics from the last Italian race in Innichen where he was the man to end Schmidt’s winning streak?
Either way, Schmidt is not yet concerned about recent results, and still feels he’s skiing with enough speed to get things back on track.
"I unfortunately went out early but I had the speed on this track and I think I showed that in qualy," he told Canada Ski Cross after St. Moritz. "Looking forward to the World Champs next year here, and hopefully the Schmidts can stay on top of the leaderboard for the next few races."
The journey of Hannah Schmidt, on the other hand, has been one of more consistency.
After making it to the small final of the first two races in Val Thorens, she went on to claim a first World Cup win of her career in Arosa as she and her brother made history as the first siblings to win races on the same night.
She has made onto the podium in all but one of the five races since then, winning back-to-back races on home snow in Nakiska in the process.
However, despite such a good run of form, it wasn’t until the dust had settled on her third-place finish in St. Moritz last weekend that she finally took the lead in the overall standings.
Typically quick racing from Sandra Naeslund at the start of the season meant the Swede racked up points at every turn to be the early pace-setter, but an injury suffered in Nakiska has kept her out of racing since, and she has now slipped down the rankings as a result.
Then there’s the consistency of Marielle Berger Sabbatel, who had made it into the big final of every race of the season until a disqualification in St. Moritz meant she was unable to add to her points tally in the most recent race.
Added to that the fact that Marielle Thompson’s racing has been improving all season to the point of winning her first race in St. Moritz a few days ago, and it means the women’s section is just as close as the men’s. Schmidt is 49 points ahead of Berger Sabbatel in second, while Thompson is just 13 points behind the Frenchwoman in third.
Naeslund and Switzerland’s Fanny Smith are a point apart in fourth and fifth respectively, with Canada’s Brittany Phelan remaining in contention along with Swiss pair Talina Gantenbein and Sixtine Cousin - the latter winning her first World Cup race in Innichen at the end of last year.
And so as we look ahead to another weekend of racing in Italy, we have plenty to look forward to and just one question remaining - can the two Schmidt siblings hold off their opponents for another week?
Qualification in Alleghe takes place on 31 January and 1 February for World Cup races on 2 and 3 February.
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