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Federica Brignone stood on stage in Milan, all smiles and showing as joyful as ever, having been offered the Collari D’Oro (Gold Collar Award) earlier this week, an honor recognizing her excellent 2019-20 season, through which she grew to become the primary Italian lady to win an total World Cup title. Brignone was one among 4 recipients of the nationwide award for winter sports activities achievement, the very best honor in all of Italian sport.
However the pleasure and satisfaction from that triumphant season unexpectedly turned to frustration and indecision. As an alternative of constructing upon the momentum from the record-breaking marketing campaign, Brignone struggled by way of a nightmarish 2020-21 season, at occasions even admitting that she wished to stop and go residence.
The 31-year-old Italian ski racing star completed a disappointing seventh within the total standings, suffered three DNFs on residence snow on the world championships in Cortina in February, salvaged only one World Cup victory, and even floated the potential for retirement upon its conclusion.
“I used to be not joyful and I wished to go residence. I used to be not having enjoyable coaching; I used to be not having enjoyable snowboarding, all the time pressured, and for me it was nearly like an obligation to race,” Brignone reveals to Ski Racing Media, on a cellphone name whereas driving to Soelden for the season-opening race. “I’m not a robotic – I wish to do that as a result of it’s my ardour.”
Brignone, who resides in La Salle within the Aosta Valley of Northwestern Italy, mentioned the February world championships in Cortina d’Ampezzo had been equally as irritating.
“I used to be in form, however my head was not good from the start of the season, so I arrived on the world championships with loads of stress and since it was in Italy,” she mentioned. “I used to be not having enjoyable, nearly saying that I wished to stop snowboarding every single day.”
Nevertheless, Brignone believes that her troubles of final season are within the rearview mirror, coming into the 2021-22 Olympic season on a brand new street with a recent perspective, optimistic mindset and restructured strategy as her brother Davide shall be her main coach, creating and implementing a custom-made coaching and race program.
“I requested for a program made for me as a result of it’s simply not the identical when you could have a program made for many individuals and I’m actually the one one doing each self-discipline,” Brignone says, referring to offseason discussions with the Italian Ski Crew. “I wished to maintain my brother with me after 4 years of labor collectively, however they mentioned no and that my brother was not welcome with the elite workforce.
“I mentioned ‘Okay, I received’t settle for that, so I’ll prepare simply with him’ – we managed on the finish to stick with the workforce, however not with the elite workforce for coaching,” she explains. “It was good to vary – Davide shall be with me all season and at each coaching.
Brignone says optimistic adjustments are already evident.
“Already, I had enjoyable this summer time, working with my brother and technician. I labored actually onerous, and bodily I believe I’ve by no means been like I’m this 12 months.
“It’s a brand new problem and it might go mistaken once I race, however I do know that is the suitable approach. It’s additionally much more accountability for my brother,” she provides.
Federica’s brother Davide, who serves not solely as her coach, however closest confidante, hasn’t missed a race since 2016. He gave up his personal ski racing profession after a number of accidents, selecting to make use of the abilities, data and expertise to assist his sister push hers additional.
“I choose and like extra the half the place I’m teaching and serving to her personally,” Davide says, within the automobile experience to Austria alongside together with his sister. “From my viewpoint, the adjustments should not that a lot – for me, a very powerful factor is that Federica is wholesome, she feels good and is coaching nicely.
“The season is lengthy, so you need to be robust mentally and bodily all season and this would be the most tough and most necessary for her to realize these good outcomes,” he mentioned.
Brignone goals to kick off the brand new season in excessive gear, driving in the direction of regaining the velocity, consistency and satisfaction from the coronavirus-shortened season of two winters in the past. In 2019-20, she received the general title by 153 factors over three-time defending champion Mikaela Shiffrin, whereas additionally attaining season titles in big slalom and mixed.
Whereas new challenges and obstacles are instantly forward, Brignone just isn’t misplaced upon the magnitude of her unprecedented achievement, particularly being honored by the Italian Olympic Committee with the celebrated award.
“Even two years afterwards, they acknowledged what I did and it makes you understand that you just actually made historical past in our sport,” she mentioned.
The Soelden opener and onwards
With the Soelden season opener two weeks away – an enormous slalom that Brignone received in 2015 and completed runner-up final October – she actually exudes confidence given her monitor document on the demanding Austrian glacier course, however admits, she is not sure of the place precisely she’s going to stack up.
“Soelden is a race the place you need to be very aggressive – it issues the way you ski, nevertheless it’s the angle that makes the distinction on the steep half as a result of it’s a powerful race with a excessive altitude and is bodily very onerous in your physique,” Brignone says. “You must be robust and push from starting to finish.
“I don’t know the place I’m proper now, however I do know if I’m snowboarding good, then I’m among the best.”
By way of her setup for the upcoming season, Brignone stays with Rossignol skis and says she doesn’t foresee main adjustments regardless of final season’s struggles. Nevertheless, ski testing continues.
Addressing her race schedule plans, the Italian says: “I’ll focus totally on GS and super-G, the place I’ll race each occasion, after which I’ll select some downhill and slalom races.
“From St. Moritz in December on, I’ll race many extra occasions, even in downhill and slalom.”
Brignone says she’s going to skip the November slaloms in Levi and the parallel occasion in Lech, to be able to journey to the U.S. to acquire invaluable velocity coaching on the U.S. Ski Crew Coaching Heart at Copper Mountain, Colorado.
“We name it a ski fitness center as a result of it’s comfy, actually handy and good coaching,” Brignone says. “We’ve been snowboarding on glaciers all summer time and I wish to ski in winter situations on longer slopes. In Colorado, we keep in a flat for 10 days, you don’t transfer each few days, and it’s really fairly enjoyable.
Brignone says she enjoys most all the things about her time spent within the U.S., the place many objects are larger and perhaps higher, albeit forgetting that the metric system is non-existent.
“Available in the market, you wish to purchase milk and there may be like 10 liters of milk, not identical to one half liter right here in Europe – it’s all fairly enjoyable,” the Italian says with amusing.
The nice unknown of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Video games
Brignone enormously anticipates competing at her fourth Olympic Video games, in Beijing this February, regardless of coronavirus countermeasures, unknown tracks and a venue that has but to be seen by worldwide racers.
“Having a brand new slope that no one is aware of, for me as a tech skier and I can adapt quite a bit, I believe it’s cool,” Brignone mentioned. “I’m someone that doesn’t want loads of time on the slope, and usually when one thing is new, I’m good at it.”
The veteran Italian racer garnered an Olympic GS bronze medal in PyeongChang 2018, however usually has not thrived at earlier Olympic Video games. She made her Olympic debut in Vancouver 2010, at age 19.
“In Sochi (2014), I used to be getting back from one 12 months of accidents. In PyeongChang (2018) in super-G, I used to be shut to creating an enormous end result and GS was good, and in Vancouver (2010) I did all of it mistaken, nevertheless it was a great expertise.
“{Qualifications} shall be powerful for positive, however I hope to be there for extra occasions and never simply GS and super-G,” Brignone says of constructing the Italian workforce in Beijing. “I hope to have a ticket for a lot of disciplines.”
Observe Brian on Twitter – @Brian_Pinelli
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