(ATR) The 2015-16 Alpine Skiing World Cup season will most likely be remembered for its injuries to top ski racers rather than for outstanding performances.
After five months and nearly 90 races on three continents, the tour concludes this weekend in St. Moritz. The five-day World Cup finals in Switzerland are also serving as a dress rehearsal for next season’s FIS world championships in the 1928 and 1948 Olympic host city.
Overall World Cup titles are being awarded to Austrian star Marcel Hirscher and Swiss Lara Gut without drama as recent crashes, resulting in season-ending injuries to Norwegian Aksel Lund Svindal and American Lindsey Vonn abruptly ended compelling battles for the large crystal globes. Vonn still earned enough points to secure her record-breaking eighth downhill title.
Svindal crashed spectacularly on the lower section of the treacherous Hahnenkamm downhill course in Kitzbuehel, Austria on Jan. 23, while Vonn fell and suffered another knee injury at a race in Soldeu, Andorra.
"It was tough to miss these final races, but I’m looking forward to racing next year at world championships here and the Olympics in PyeongChang," Vonn said, in St. Moritz this week to collect her trophy.
Other marquee names to succumb to injury and miss parts or all of the season included two-time defending World Cup champion Anna Fenninger and Sochi 2014 Olympic downhill champion Matthias Mayer of Austria, as well as U.S. Olympic gold medalists Mikaela Shiffrin and Ted Ligety.
Italian Daniela Merighetti ended her 16-year career unceremoniously on Wednesday with a crash resulting in an ACL knee injury at her final World Cup downhill race.
International Ski Federation president Gian Franco Kasper addressed the string of crashes and injuries during races in Korea in February.
"The accidents of course we fight against all we can – unfortunately skiing will always be a risky sport, unless we reduce the speeds to zero and we have a certain hope they don’t fall down just standing around," Kasper said, partially kidding.
"That’s part of our sport, but we try really [hard] – 20 years ago we had no safety nets, so things have really improved. Risk will always remain."
The tour also missed the star power of six-time Olympic medalist Bode Miller and former overall World Cup champion Tina Maze of Slovenia, both of whom sat out the season for personal reasons.
On a more positive note, the FIS was pleased to witness PyeongChang 2018 hosting successfully Olympic test event races on the new downhill course in Jeongseon. World Cup men’s skiers gave positive reviews to the new course as races were contested Feb. 6-7.
The critical test races had been in jeopardy as construction crews scrambled to finish a gondola at Korea’s new, purpose-built Jeongseon Alpine Center.
Kasper praised PyeongChang 2018 president Cho Yang-ho and Korean organizers for their efforts.
"We have an excellent downhill course according to the athletes and coaches," Kasper said at a news conference in Jeongseon. " It’s a beauty and a downhill that is really made for the Olympics."
"There are still a lot challenges in front of you Mr. Cho, and now we know that you can deliver," Kasper said, addressing the PyeongChang 2018 boss.
Switzerland edged Germany to win the Nation’s Team Event on Friday in St. Moritz. The dual gender parallel slalom event will make its’ Olympic debut in PyeongChang 2018.
The technical skiers will take center stage over the final weekend in Switzerland as the ladies’ will race in the last slalom event of the season, while the men compete in giant slalom on Saturday. On Sunday, the order is reversed on the last day of the season when the final globes will be awarded.
Of the four remaining events, only the ladies slalom title is still up for grabs.
For Marcel Hirscher, 27, the season title is his fifth consecutive, tying Marc Girardelli for the all-time mark. Lara Gut, 26, is the first Swiss female skier to capture the overall title since Vreni Schneider in 1995.
Written by Brian Pinelli
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