Press release -
Lara Gut-Behrami secures Super-G Crystal Globe, Downhill double and overall lead in the World Cup
Lara Gut-Behrami continues her run of success following the World Championships. The double World Champion won both Downhill races on Friday and Saturday in Val di Fassa to celebrate her first two victories in the discipline this season. On Sunday she finished in second place to secure the Crystal Globe in the Super-G this season. The Swiss athlete also took the overall lead in the World Cup this weekend. And double World Champion Mathieu Faivre confirmed his world-leading status with a victory and a second place in the Giant Slalom events in Bansko.
"It's perfect that Lara Gut-Behrami has the Crystal Globe in the bag before the final," said HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "To win the World Cup outright is a long journey. There are Slaloms coming up where she won't be scoring big points. But there's a huge advantage to being in the lead already. She has done an excellent job. You can see that she feels good with the way the equipment works. Lara switched to the new model of ski boot before the season, and that certainly provided a strong basis for her success."
Sixth World Cup victory this season for Lara Gut-Behrami
Lara Gut-Behrami once again displayed her current top form with her fifth and sixth World Cup victories this season. "It's certainly a very special slope, but not that difficult," is how the Swiss athlete analysed the World Cup début in Val di Fassa on Friday. "I feel very good on these skis at the moment. I won't be thinking about the overall World Cup unless I'm still in the same position in Lenzerheide. From now on, I'm taking one race at a time. A lot can still happen. I just want to ski the way I know how. Nothing more, nothing less."
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Crystal Globe in the Super-G, 187 point lead in the overall World Cup
On Sunday, Lara Gut-Behrami finished in second place in the Super-G in Val di Fassa to secure the World Cup in this discipline before the end of the season. It's the 29-year-old's third Crystal Globe in the Super-G, following on from 2014 and 2016. "I struggled with the timing from top to bottom. If you still manage a podium finish, that's not something that goes without saying", emphasised the Swiss athlete, who also took the lead in the overall World Cup with 1,227 points, 187 points ahead of Petra Vlhova.
Corinne Suter reaches the podium three times
Swiss athlete Corinne Suter finished third in the Downhill in Val di Fassa to bag a place on the podium. Another three HEAD World Cup Rebels finished in the top-ten with Kajsa Vickhoff Lie from Norway in sixth place, Marie-Michele Gagnon from Canada in seventh place and Laura Pirovano from Italy in eighth place. Elena Curtoni from Italy finished in eleventh place. In the Downhill on Saturday, the HEAD team celebrated a double victory: Corinne Suter finished second behind Lara Gut-Behrami. Kajsa Vickhoff Lie and Laura Pirovano were tied in fifth place, Marie-Michele Gagnon was in ninth place, and Elena Curtoni finished tenth.
In the Super-G on Sunday, Corinne Suter finished in third place, Elena Curtoni was fourth, and Ragnhild Mowinckel from Norway in seventh to bag top-ten finishes for the HEAD team. However, severe crashes by Kajsa Vickhoff Lie and Austrian athlete Rosina Schneeberger overshadowed the race.
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Cornelia Hütter celebrates a successful comeback
Cornelia Hütter had reason to be pleased with her 37th place in the Downhill on Friday. This result means the Austrian athlete, who has not competed in any World Cup races since March 2019 due to injuries, could celebrate a successful comeback. "It was very emotional for me because I have been away from racing for such a long time. It was really great to feel the excitement of competition again." On Sunday, Cornelia Hütter went on to score her first World Cup points since her return to racing in the Super-G, finishing in 21st place.
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Second World Cup victory for Mathieu Faivre
World Champion Mathieu Faivre confirmed his impressive world-leading form in both Giant Slalom races in Bansko. The French athlete finished on top of the podium on Sunday and finished in second place in Saturday's race. For Faivre, who shone in Cortina with World Championship Gold medals in the Giant Slalom and Parallel Slalom events, it was his second World Cup victory since his success in the Giant Slalom in Val d'Isere in 2016. "I'm happy that it finally worked out with a victory after leading in the first run," said the 29-year-old at the finish. "Mathieu Faivre has proven beyond doubt that he feels comfortable with the new skis and can compete at full speed again," said HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber.
Alexis Pinturault leads the overall World Cup and the Giant Slalom World Cup
Fourth place on Saturday went to Faivre's compatriot Alexis Pinturault, who had to ski most of the second run without a ski pole. Alexander Schmid from Germany finished in eleventh place, Justin Murisier from Switzerland was 13th. Alexis Pinturault bagged a podium finish in third place on Sunday, and Justin Murisier was eighth. As a result, Alexis Pinturault remains in the lead in the overall World Cup and the Giant Slalom World Cup. In the overall World Cup the French athlete now has a lead of 210 points over Marco Odermatt. "If Alexis Pinturault had bagged the Giant Slalom at the World Championships, things would look different now. But I am convinced that his performance this weekend gives him all the confidence he needs for the upcoming events," said HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber.
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HEAD is a leading global manufacturer and marketer of premium sports equipment and apparel.
Our business is organized into five divisions: Winter Sports, Racquet Sports, Diving, Sportswear and Licensing. We sell products under the HEAD (alpine skis, ski bindings, ski boots, snowboard and protection products, tennis, racquetball, paddle, squash and pickleball racquets, tennis balls and tennis footwear, sportswear and swimming products), Penn (tennis balls and racquetball balls), Tyrolia (ski bindings) and Mares, SSI and rEvo (diving) brands. The Company´s key products have attained leading market positions based on sales and reputation and have gained high visibility through their use by many of today´s top athletes.
