WTI Magazine #52    2015 January, 23
Author : Simone Callisto Manca      Translation by:

Good news for the ski team on the eve of the next World Cup, scheduled in Colorado from February 2nd to February 15th. For sure, these are not the times of Tomba and Compagnoni, or even of Giuliano Razzoli (Olympic gold in Vancouver in 2010 in the special slalom), and so we do not seem to be able to aspire to a medal: but in the last weeks interesting indications emerged.

Among women, last January 16th Elena Fanchini won the downhill in Cortina d'Ampezzo, a little more than nine years after her last victory, which happened in Salt Lake City. A difficult career, that of Fanchini, who after conquering in 2005 (when she was 20) a silver medal in the downhill at the World Championships in Bormio, suffered a serious injury in 2008 (torn ligaments in her left knee) after which she never returned to optimal levels. At least, until now: this victory lets us hope well for the next part of the season, the decisive one.

The men's national team climbed to the top step of the podium, after one year, on January 11th in Adelboden, where Stefano Gross won the gold medal in the slalom. It was the first career victory for the 28 year old from Bolzano, that before the exploit of a few days ago had brought home just second and third places. A tightrope victory, for Gross, who won by just 2 hundredths of a second over the German skier Dopfer and by just 3 hundresths over the Austrian skier Hirscher.

Staying on winter sports, another good news comes from our excellent performance at the World Cup snowboard cross in Kreischberg (Austria), when last January 16th (evidently a lucky date) Luca Matteotti won the gold medal, while Michela Moioli achieved an extraordinary bronze medal. Matteotti finished second in the quarter-final, in a race made difficult by the little snow on the track, but he then was securely and firmly in the lead from start to finish in the semifinals and final. Moioli, who was very unlucky in the Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014, when she injured her right knee during the race, redeemed herself this year, with a strongly desired bronze medal. The gold one went to American Lindsey Jacobellis, one of the stars of this sport.

Finally, on January 22 Roland Fischnaller won the gold medal in the snowboard parallel slalom at the World Cup. A 35 years old alpine from Funes, Trentino Alto Adige, this is for Fischnaller's career the finest medal, after a silver achieved in Stoneham in 2013 and two bronze in giant slalom in La Molina in 2011 and Stoneham 2013.

It is no longer the time of the "blue avalanche", but all these very good news in few days definitely strengthen our morale for the important appointments that await the Italian team.