‘New race, new chance’ – Berger Sabbatel proving consistency is key
Jan 18, 2024·Ski Cross
“I’m just thinking that it’s my best start of the season. After that I don’t know what’s going to happen," Marielle Berger Sabbatel says. "I’m closer to the end of my career than the beginning for sure, but I will not think or put more pressure to say it’s now or never.”
Berger Sabbatel has never won the Crystal Globe in the FIS Ski Cross World Cup - her best finish in previous editions was fourth overall - but after five races this season the Frenchwoman is just five points behind current leader and defending champion Sandra Naeslund. And she has done it despite not winning a race this season.
The 33-year-old has collected points at every turn, making the big final in all five of the races so far and only missing out on the podium on one of those occasions.
“It’s a really good start to the season for me - my best start of my career for sure," she added.
“End of last season was good with a victory in Canada, but it’s great to start again with good regularity and a few podiums and finals - five out of five - so, perfect for me.”
Asked if her impressive start is in line with the goals she set before the season started, Berger Sabbatel says: "It was not a goal like ‘I want to be for sure on the podium in this race and if I don’t it’s one goal not achieved’. My goals were to be more consistent and to be as much as possible on the podium.”
If she seems relaxed about it all it’s because she acknowledges there is little point in looking too far ahead in a sport where every race is a knockout race.
“You can’t really have a plan because you never know what’s going to happen,” she says. “After one, two or three metres of the race you can be first or you can be fourth and something can happen before or just next to you and you will never know.
“That’s not only how you feel, that’s also the race with people close to you. You never know and for me that’s also what makes ski cross great to do and to watch.”
While Naeslund won last season's World Cup in comfortable fashion, there have already been four different winners on the circuit this time around. After Naeslund won the first race in Val Thorens, Germany’s Daniela Maier won the second, and Canada’s Hannah Schmidt stood top in Arosa less than a week later. There was another win for Naeslund on day one in Innichen, but on day two the Swede missed a late gate in the big final to allow Switzerland's Sixtine Cousin to cross the finish line first.
Naeslund aside, the three others had won a World Cup race for the first time in their careers, with this season shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent times.
“For sure Sandra was better than everyone last year but it’s good because that shows that many girls can win,” Berger Sabbatel said of the current campaign. “It’s probably a little bit tighter this winter. I’m not completely surprised, and for sure I’m happy about that.”
Attention now turns to Nakiska, where Berger Sabbatel will be hoping to register her first win of the season and Naeslund will be aiming to get a foothold on the standings. There’s still plenty of time for Maier to claw her way above her current position of fourth, while third-place Schmidt – along with compatriots Marielle Thompson and Brittany Phelan – will want to give the Canadian crowd plenty to cheer about.
It means we are in for another exciting set of knockout finals when the races get underway on 20 and 21 January as each athlete poses a threat.
“I always thought that everyone was dangerous and capable of winning,” Berger Sabbatel says. “So that’s not different for me because I don’t think the girls are harder to beat this year, for me they were also hard to beat before.”
Awaiting the skiers is a completely new track, one Thompson promises will be "a surprise for everyone", but regardless of what problems she faces when the races start on Saturday, Berger Sabbatel is confident she will deal with them. And if things don’t go as planned on day one, her relaxed attitude means she will be able to pick herself up for day two.
“Sometimes it’s hard but it’s also a chance to have another race, to race again one day later and you don’t have one month or two months to think about it,” she said.
“I will try to keep my head clear and be back, because we know that in ski cross Saturday and Sunday can be two different results. You have to clear your head and be back and be ready because a new race is a new chance.”
Qualification in Nakiska takes place on 18 and 19 January, with the races taking place on 20 and 21 January.
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