Mattia Casse won a race in the Alpine World Cup for the first time at the tender age of 34. The Italian prevailed in difficult conditions at the Super-G in Val Gardena with a hundredth of a second lead over Jared Goldberg (USA) and ahead of the favored giant slalom Olympic champion Marco Odermatt (Switzerland). Luis Vogt from SC Garmisch achieved his best World Cup result to date in 16th place. Teammate Simon Jocher was eliminated, Romed Baumann (WSV Kiefersfelden) in 37th place and World Cup debutant Maximilian Schwarz (DAV Peißenberg/56th) missed the points.
Different Casse. “I know my potential in these conditions, you can’t drive too hard. I like that,” he said of the Saslong piste, which was soft after heavy snowfall. The former junior world champion has been on the podium in third place three times in the past two years, but was considered an unwanted training specialist: he achieved the best time eight times in test runs in the World Cup. In Val Gardena, in snowfall and wind, he crept along the piste like a cat and was just ahead of Goldberg. Odermatt was 0.43 seconds behind.
The 22-year-old Vogt (1.36 seconds behind) raced into the elite with the high number 59. “I was relaxed, that’s the recipe for success for me,” he said. Jocher missed a goal and then swore loudly. “The mistake must not happen. I’m very, very angry with myself,” he said on the ARD microphone. Co-favorite Cyprien Sarrazin (France) was also eliminated, and Austrian Daniel Danklmaier had to be treated for longer after a fall. Although he drove himself a little way down the valley and there to an ambulance, there is a suspicion of a knee injury.
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