The competition slope on Rettenbachglaciären in Austrian Sölden is not a favorite slope for Swedes. Slalom star Sara Hector is no exception. She has at best been fourth there.
My theory is that Swedish slopes are not as steep and we learn from childhood to become good at carving clean. In Sölden, you have no advantage of being able to carve clean, she said to TT earlier in the week.
Here it is flat, steep and flat.
Hector, reigning Olympic Games champion in giant slalom and third in the giant slalom cup last season, was seventh after the first run, a good half second from the podium. In the second, she slipped down further, to a ninth place, 1.93 seconds after the winner Julia Scheib, Austria.
Scheib took her first World Cup victory. She won with 58 hundredths ahead of American Paula Moltzan and 1.11 seconds ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami, Switzerland.
A thousand kilos fell from my shoulders. The second run felt terrible, but I am incredibly relieved that it was enough, says Scheib according to the Austrian news agency APA.
No other Swedes made it to the second run.
What do you think?