Sensational Michelle Gisin is already back on top
Michelle Gisin is back on the podium, taking third place in the Giant in Courchevel. A performance that has a taste of victory for the Crans-Montana 2027 ambassador, who has had to face mononucleosis this summer.
Michelle Gisin is incredible. The skier from Obwald appeared to shrug off her mononucleosis, and the adverse effects that are still troubling her, to take third place in the first Courchevel Giant, which was won in style by Mikaela Shiffrin, coming in just in front of Sweden's Sara Hector. Who could have imagined that the skier from Engelberg would be able to return to competitive skiing this quickly? Having only resumed training at the end of September, the Swiss skier took her first podium place of the winter, after – in her words - "some very complicated months", while also having to manage her rest periods after competitions. This podium place naturally has a taste of victory.
Michelle Gisin had already shown that she was gradually returning to form during the slaloms in Levi where she placed 8th and 5th. She then took to her downhill skis again in Saint-Moritz and Val d'Isère, ending up with two top 10 finishes. Competition appears to motivate and enable her to transcend, and her polished technique has allowed her to shine even if she is not yet 100%. In Courchevel, the Obwaldian once again showed her natural talent, and took the 15th podium place of her career, her third in the Giant . After a brilliant first heat, she was able to keep up the pace despite her fatigue, and in the second, she used the science of trajectory to her advantage.
Camille Rast’s third best result of her career
There was even more satisfaction in the Swiss clan thanks to Camille Rast’s 9th place. The Valaisan finally managed to let loose in a discipline in which she has had difficulty truly freeing herself since the beginning of winter. The click that seemed to occur during the Andalo Giants in the European Cup, where she took 1st and 2nd place was reflected in the World Cup.
Starting with bib number 45, the skier from Vétroz managed an excellent 16th place, on a piste that had already deteriorated in the first heat. Not satisfied with this, she attacked even harder on the second run to gain seven places and, for the third time in her career, finished in the top 10 in the World Cup, and equalled her best result in the Giant, back in 2017 in Kronplatz, before her health problems with mononucleosis and a torn cruciate knee ligament. This performance will give her a lot of confidence for the next Giant races this winter, as she knows she has what it takes to finish in front. Hasn’t she just finished with the fourth fastest time in the second heat…
Wendy Holdener (18th), Simone Wild (21st) and Corinne Suter (23rd) also scored points.
Mikaela Shiffrin's 72nd
In the absence of Lara Gut-Behrami, who tested positive for Covid-19, having pushed her to the limit in the opening Giant in Sölden, Mikaela Shiffrin had no hesitation in winning her 72nd World Cup race. With 14 Giant Slalom victories now, she joins Anita Wachter, Viktoria Rebensburg, Tessa Worley, Tina Maze and Lise-Marie Morerod as the third most successful athlete in the discipline.
With this new success, Shiffrin takes the overall lead from Sofia Goggia, who was eliminated in the second round on Tuesday. A second Giant is scheduled to take place on Wednesday in the French resort.
