Shiffrin and Vlhová World Ski Rivalry to Resume on Saturday
The 2022–23 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season will get underway in Sölden, Austria, this weekend. This will be the 57th consecutive year of the world cup competition. 38 locations – stretching from Palisades Tahoe in California to Zagreb in Croatia – are scheduled to host events during the coming months.
43 races are listed on the men’s 2022-23 world cup calendar. The women’s roster consists of 42 contests. However, weather conditions are sure to lead to some cancellations and rescheduling. It is 15 years since Sölden was last forced to cancel its traditional season-opening event.
Marco Odermatt and Mikaela Shiffrin are both in action in Sölden this weekend. They are favorites to retain the overall world titles this season. ©GettyImages
Situated on the Rettenbach glacier at a high altitude, officials report Sölden’s giant slalom ski course to be in “top condition” for this weekend’s action. The women’s race will take place on Saturday; the men will compete on Sunday.
More Intense Rivalry Between Vlhová and Shiffrin?
With a vertical drop of 370 meters (1,214 feet) and a maximum gradient of 68.2 percent (34.3 degrees), the Rettenbach slope is widely regarded as the most difficult giant slalom on the women’s circuit.
Last year Mikaela Shiffrin took this contest. She had previously dead-heated in 2014 and had finished runner-up three times in between. The American would be crowned overall world cup winner by the end of the 2021-22 season. She won five races in total.
But the 2020-21 overall world cup winner, Petra Vlhová snapped at her heels throughout the winter and won more races. The 27-year-olds put on a great show and share an intense rivalry. Hopefully, this will continue throughout the season ahead. Vlhová appears to be a better skier in slalom events, whereas Shiffrin is superior in Super-G and Downhill.
Cavalier Winner Bassino Is Worth an Interest
In the betting for this season’s overall world cup title, Shiffrin is the favorite. The best online betting sites have her priced on 11/8 ahead of Vlhová on 9/4. In Saturday’s giant slalom race, the pair can be backed at 4/1 and 6/1 respectively.
Ahead of this opening contest, punters have little insight into the competitors’ fitness levels and well-being. Nevertheless, one athlete, Marta Bassino, appears to be overpriced. The 26-year-old is 10/1 at the William Hill sportsbook.
Winner of this contest in 2020 – in a season where she would score four times – Bassino strung together four podium finishes in giant slalom races during the last campaign. Cavalier in her style – she failed to finish in three of her 2021-22 races including here in Sölden – the Italian is worthy of a small interest bet.
Swiss Star Can Emulate the Greats
The men’s giant slalom is scheduled to take place 24 hours later. Last year Marco Oldermatt won this race. He never relinquished his position at the head of the giant slalom or overall rankings thereafter.
At 25 and barring injury, the Swiss star appears capable of maintaining his status as the world’s best overall skier for several seasons to come. He is priced on 1/2 to retain his overall crown this term.
Giant slalom has always been his forte – producing 17 of his 29 career podium finishes. Consequently, Oldermatt is an overwhelming favorite at 11/10 to score on Sunday. The formbook supports his cause. Hermann Maier, Bodie Miller, Ted Ligety and Alexis Pinturault all won this race in back-to-back years since the turn of the century.
