The opening of the 2015/16 Audi FIS Ski World Cup is right around the corner. This week-end (24th-25th October), the white circus will meet on the Rettenbach-Glacier and compete for the first World Cup win of the season.
Sölden is always a good opportunity for athletes competing in technical disciplines to evaluate their summer training. After months of preparation, both on and off the snow, they have finally a chance to ski in race conditions and to earn their first World Cup Points of the season.
Last year, Marcel Hirscher dominated the GS World Cup on the men’s side, with 5 wins out of 8 races. He was the only athlete to win more than one race, and took the crystal globe with a clear margin of more than 100 points. However, things may be different this year. On the one hand, Ted Ligety, who suffered a hand injury last season, is back in excellent shape and ready to fight for the discipline globe he won in 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014. On the other hand, Kristoffersen, Pinturault, Neureuther are willing to end Ligety and Hirscher’s dominance, and they all have the capacity to do so.
On the ladies’ side, the pace is set by Anna Fenninger. She won the giant slalom crystal globe and 4 out of 7 races. One of her biggest rivals in the discipline is Eva-Maria Brem. The GS-specialist made a break-through last season and reached 5 podiums, to end 2nd in the GS-standings. Mikaela Shiffrin, Lara Gut and Viktoria Rebensburg are also serious candidates, since they all won in Sölden before. Due to her injury on the left ankle in August, Lindsey Vonn’s participation is not confirmed yet.
Source: fis-ski.com
