Back-to-back win for Naeslund and Howden well-deserved back on top
Dec 22, 2022·Ski Cross
With the sun coming out right before the second FIS Ski Cross World Cup race on Thursday, 22 December started, Innichen/ San Candido showed itself once again from the best way possible. Infront of a picturesque landsacpe Sandra Naeslund and Reece Howden were dominating every single of their runs today and so won the last race before Christmas here in South Tyrol.
Naeslund unbeaten for over a year
The big final women in Thursday’s FIS Ski Cross World Cup looked like the following. In red we saw Qualification and previous day winner Sandra Naeslund (SWE), in green Fanny Smith (SUI), in blue Sonja Gigler (AUT) and in yellow Andrea Limbacher (AUT).
Guess who was the fastest women today out of the start gate? Right, it was again Swede Naeslund followed by Smith in second position and the two Austrians side-by-side skiing into the first turn after the start section. The experienced Limbacher who was on the inside line next to her younger teammate, had to slow down to avoid a crash with Gigler and so fall back on fourth position.
While Limbacher was trying to catch up again with her competitors, Gigler was following Smith along the course. After intermediate two, the women were so far apart that it looked like the ranking of the four athletes was already set. But it wouldn`t be Ski Cross if the ranking couldn’t change also on the very last meter.
Naeslund who was already over a second in front of her persecutors at the second intermediate, was skiing her own race without noticing what is going on behind her. At one of the key elements on this course, the penultima turn, Smith made a big mistake, which had the consequence that she was skiing far away from the ideal line and came back last second to pass the next gate correctly. The young Austrian who had so much speed coming out of the penultima turn, got surprised by the suddenly super slow Smith which leaded to a crash between Smith and Gigler right after the roller section and before the finish strait. Limbacher now was the lucky fourth who got second in the end because of the mistake of the two other skiers.
After rewatching the scene, it was clear that Smith and Gigler both skied through the same gate right before the crash and so both got ranked third in the End.
Sandra Naeslund stays unbeaten since over a year and takes home her 13th win in a row today.
Howden dominating the men’s field
In Thursday’s big final men, we had the second placed from yesterday, Reece Howden (CAN) in red, Niklas Bachsleitner in blue, Rio Sugai (JPN) in green and the local hero Simone Deromedis (ITA) in yellow waiting for the gate to drop.
Howden who was dominating every single of his four runs was also the fastest of the four skiers after the start. Followed by Sugai, Bachsleitner and Deromedis.
Till intermediate 1 the Ski Cross train was going down the course one after another. On the last roller right before the next turn, Bachlseitner made a mistake which caused him to slow down and giving the young Italian the chance to pass, but the pass attempt failed.
This run was pretty clear with not a single passe along the 1.3km fast course. Howden who showed some excellent skiing and especially starting skills today, definitely earned this last victory of 2022.
The podium got completed by the Japanese Sugai in second and the German Bachsleitner in third position.
New World Cup leaders: Sandra Naeslund (SWE) and Reece Howden (CAN
That’s it for this year. After an intense December full of racing, in fact five races within 17 days, it’s time to drive or fly home for Christmas for the Ski Cross circuit and enjoy some moments of peace with their family and friends.
Merry Christmas and a happy new year from the Ski Cross family to yours. See you in Idre Fjäll Sweden for back-to-back races from 20-22 January 2023.
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