The Swiss skiers did not really have anything to do with the decision on the top of the ranking in yesterday's super combined race in Val d' Isère. The same could be said for the past nine World Cup races this season before Val d' Isère.
But especially the ladies Swiss speed team has shown in the past (Gisin: 4th place downhill overall ranking 2009, 5th and 6th place in Lake Louise downhill 2009/10, Suter: 8th place downhill overall 2009, 6th place in Lake Louise super-G 2009/10, Styger: 7th place in Lake Louise super-G 2009/10) that they do have potential and can have a say in the decision about the top first places.
This season the ladies Swiss speed team has not yet reached a podium finish but they will already get a chance to change that today on the 2764-meter Oreiller Killy downhill course scheduled at 10:45 local time/CET.
"With the seventh place finish in the super-G in Lake Louise, I have met the Olympic selection criteria for Vancouver. This takes away pressure," Nadia Styger said. "In downhill I hoped to do equally well after I was 2nd and 3rd in the trainings but then I finished 13th and 17th in the race. I am a person who likes to push the limits and see how fast I can go already in the training courses," Styger continues.
The 31-year-old skier actually won her last race almost two years ago on February 22, 2009 on the same hill on which the Olympic downhill race will take place in February 2010. She seems to like the downhill in Whistler. "My favorite speed courses are probably in Switzerland though because the crowd really supports you there and you get a chance to meet up with friends and family at the races."
Being an Olympic year, the skiers do not have much time to find their form and make the cut for one of the spots on the Olympic team. For Styger it was important to not wait until the very last moment to qualify. She wanted to get it out of the way so she can then continue to focus on skiing.
Styger grew up in the Sattel region, which only counts about 1700 inhabitants, and so did the 24-year old Fabienne Suter. Both worked as an apprentice for the same municipality before turning their focus completely to skiing. Stygi and Suti, as the two skiers are called by colleagues and coaches, have other things in common. They both learned skiing in the same ski area called Hochstuckli. Both aim to compete in the Olympics this year, for Styger it will be her second and at the same time last Olympic Games and for Suter it will be the first chance to participate.
"Of course, you try to prepare yourself mentally and physically as best as possible for such a big event. But in the end, it is such a special atmosphere and many things are different including more security checks so everything takes longer. There are a lot of things happening that you are not used to so it is not an easy task to pretend it is just a normal race like any other," Styger adds."For me it is also difficult because I did not perform so well at the last big event, which were the World Championships in Val d' Isère. So I am definitely preparing myself for this and I know everyone is nervous and may feel some additional pressure in an Olympic year," Suter says.
"No one can tell me that there is not something special, maybe something mystical about the Olympic Games," Styger concludes. "In skiing you never know what will happen. I hope I will get to Vancouver and make some good results," she says.
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Val d'Isère (Fr). Audi FIS World Cup downhill ladies:
Starting list for today at 10:45 local time/CET:
1 Britt Janyk (Ka). 2 Stacey Cook (USA). 3 Anna Fenninger (Ö). 4 Maria Holaus (Ö). 5 Nadia Styger (Sz). 6 Martina Schild (Sz). 7 Alice McKennis (USA). 8 Daniela Merighetti (It). 9 Elisabeth Görgl (Ö). 10 Tina Maze (Sln). 11 Gina Stechert (De). 12 Marion Rolland (Fr). 13 Aurélie Revillet (Fr). 14 Marie Marchand-Arvier (Fr). 15 Fabienne Suter (Sz).
16 Emily Brydon (Ka). 17 Andrea Fischbacher (Ö). 18 Anja Pärson (Sd). 19 Lindsey Vonn (USA). 20 Maria Riesch (De). 21 Nadia Fanchini (It). 22 Dominique Gisin (Sz). 23 Julia Mancuso (USA). 24 Elena Fanchini (It). 25 Ingrid Jacquemod (Fr). 26 Wendy Siorpaes (It). 27 Fränzi Aufdenblatten (Sz). 28 Monika Dumermuth (Sz). 29 Nadja Kamer (Sz). 30 Carolina Ruiz Castillo (Sp). Ferner: 52 Tina Weirather (Lie). -- 57 Fahrerinnen gemeldet.
