After the last medals were awarded in Beijing, the women’s World Cup in Crans-Montana is entering the hot phase. On February 26th and 27th, 2022, the speed skiers will fight for victory in two World Cup downhill runs – and for important points in the discipline ranking.
This season, the Lower Valais will be the venue for possible preliminary decisions in the women’s downhill World Cup. If a race in the discipline is held on February 26th and 27th, 2022, mathematically speaking, 18 athletes still have a chance of winning the small crystal globe. After the highlight of the season in the form of the Winter Games, another gripping highlight is on the horizon with the downhill double in Crans-Montana.
Suter on a crystal course
Right in the middle of the fight to win the small ball is Corinne Suter, an athlete from the Swiss Ski Team. After winning the last descent in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the native of Schwyz is on the promising 2nd place in the Discipline World Cup with three races to go.
Only the previous season’s dominator Sofia Goggia from Italy is currently classified ahead of her, from whom Suter is separated by 69 points. However, it is still unclear whether Goggia will continue the World Cup winter following her devastating fall in Cortina d’Ampezzo and the lightning comeback in China. Either way, following her triumph in Beijing, Suter will try to grab the downhill ball a second time following the 2019/20 season and intercept Goggia in the two home World Cups.
Successful patch for the Swiss
Statistically speaking, the chances of that happening are very good. For the Swiss, Crans-Montana has proven to be a successful downhill destination in recent years. At the last three events since 2019, at least one athlete has always been able to get on the podium in one of sometimes two downhill runs. In 2020, Suter and teammate Lara Gut-Behrami achieved a double double victory when the Ticino won both downhill runs and Suter was second in each case immediately behind.
In addition to the encouraging statistics of recent years, the Swiss can also count on the support of the local fans. In Crans-Montana, as at the men’s home World Cup in January, spectators will be allowed to keep their fingers crossed for the Swiss team live.
Strong field of participants
However, the competition will not leave the field to the Swiss without a fight. The top riders of this World Cup season don’t want to miss the start of the final spurt of the season. And you have to count them on two hands: In the previous seven downhill runs of the season, no fewer than ten athletes were able to celebrate a podium finish. In addition to Suter, Gut-Behrami with a victory in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee and Jasmine Flury with 2nd place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen were also successful in the Swiss competition.
In Crans-Montana it will be seen whether other names will join the podium riders or whether the previous top 3 classifieds will make up the podium places among themselves. In two races on the weekend following next, the speed riders will have a double chance of finishing in the top three places on the Mont Lachaux slope.
Those: Swiss-Ski.ch
The men’s ski world cup calendar for the 2021/22 season
The women’s ski world cup calendar for the 2021/22 season 
