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CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — It was freezing chilly, the stands had been empty, and Lara Intestine-Behrami needed to drape the gold medal round her personal neck and seize her trophy from a desk.
Three hours after the ladies’s super-G race completed on the Alpine snowboarding world championships on Thursday, the Swiss standout may lastly acquire her first profession gold throughout a muted medal ceremony within the chilly end space.
Three hours could appear quick in comparison with the 12 years that Intestine needed to await this second since taking two silvers on the 2009 worlds as a 17-year-old. However ultimately she was simply glad it was over.
“In fact, it’s been nice,” she mentioned. “However it’s getting a bit too lengthy at this time, we’re freezing, everybody.”
Within the opening occasion of the worlds after three days of postponements, the Swiss star dashed to gold forward of Swiss teammate Corinne Suter in a race that noticed Mikaela Shiffrin take bronze within the American’s first pace race in additional than a yr.
The trio was made to attend to get their awards till after the next males’s super-G, which was gained by Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria.
Each races happened with out followers amid strict anti-coronavirus measures, which additionally prevented officers from handing over the medals and trophies.
Intestine-Behrami mastered the sun-bathed Olympia delle Tofane course to lastly win the one medal lacking from her storied profession, which incorporates six medals from earlier main occasions.
Intestine-Behrami burst onto the scene as a 17-year-old, profitable silver within the downhill and mixed occasion on the 2009 worlds. She later added Olympic bronze in downhill in 2014 and the general World Cup title two years later. She has gained 30 World Cup races in whole, together with the final 4 super-Gs
Nevertheless, she stored being requested about lastly profitable a gold medal.
“I by no means thought that I used to be presupposed to win a gold,” she mentioned. “I believed at this time within the begin that if somebody requested me if I favor to have 30 wins within the World Cup or a gold medal, I’d have mentioned ’30 wins.’ That made it simpler to ski at this time. I simply tried to do what I can and never assume an excessive amount of.”
Greater than 13 years of top-level ski racing, together with breaks due to hip and knee accidents, have made Intestine-Behrami reflective.
“With the time, I understand that in life there’s many issues extra essential than only a gold medal. It’s good in the event you can win it, nevertheless it’s not going to vary your life,” she mentioned. “Your life as an athlete adjustments while you get injured.”
Shiffrin additionally lamented the shortage of ambiance, after impressing in her first pace race in 382 days.
“Once I got here to the end, I used to be like, ‘Properly I should be so gradual, as a result of no one is cheering.’ However there’s no one right here to cheer,” the American mentioned. “You miss the vibe, the crowds and all the pieces.”
Shiffrin completed 0.47 behind in third after lacking an opportunity to win gold. She had the quickest cut up occasions however was slowed by a mistake close to the top when she skied via gentle snow alongside the observe.
“I believed the plan I had from inspection could be the quickest, however I didn’t know if I may execute all the pieces. And ultimately, I executed like 98%,” mentioned Shiffrin, who returned from a 10-month break from racing in November.
“Even once I made a mistake, I nonetheless felt good about my snowboarding,” Shiffrin mentioned.
Within the males’s race, Kriechmayr overcame a tough course and excessive expectations to finish his medal set, after he gained silver in super-G and bronze in downhill on the worlds two years in the past.
Beginning fifth on a course by no means featured on the boys’s World Cup circuit, the Austrian mastered the troublesome Canalone passage about 20 seconds into his run, the place the primary three starters all missed a gate and skied out.
Beating Romed Baumann and Alexis Pinturault, who took silver and bronze respectively, Kriechmayr confirmed his standing as one of many race favorites. He gained the final two super-Gs on the World Cup circuit and leads the season self-discipline standings.
Many racers after him select the same race line approaching the Canalone, however nobody matched Kriechmayr’s tempo on the remainder of the course. Solely 34 of the 56 starters made it to the end.
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