The words of Sofia Goggia at the end of the first downhill of the season that saw her immediately on the podium. “I did a good race, not excellent – said at the finish line the Bergamasque -, in my opinion I managed to ski more discreetly on my feet in the upper part, clearly having always struggled in the two runs of the past days, today I was very careful. It’ as if I skied the whole race at’80% of my potential. It’ still a very good result for which I would have signed up on the eve, for’ having left already those 16 cents in the’last part that cost me the victory are l’, they will be the fire for the supergiant on Sunday”.

The comment of an’excellent Marta Bassino, seventh just three tenths off the podium. “I am very happy with my placing, when I saw at the finish line that the gap was not so much, I felt satisfied. The Birds of Prey è a very technical and steep track, where you have to have courage and at the same time respect all the movements of the terrain, I managed to do it”.

The comment of Federica Brignone, ninth: “I am quite happy, però at the top I did not manage to pull the turns as I managed in the first training I had a little’ of indecision in the first wall, I è sorry becauseé the rest I did better than the other days. Too bad, I settle for this eighth place and look forward to Sunday”s supergiant.

Swimming, results

Four races and as many medals. Alberto Razzetti, an insane talent for mental clarity and physical power, takes a very heavy bronze in the 400 medley, after second places in the 200 mix, the 200 butterfly and that with the 4×200 freestyle: he is the cover man for Italnuoto in Budapest. Whole-heartedly the final of the 25-year-old from Lavagna – a member of Fiamme Gialle and Genova Nuoto My Sport – who closes in 3’58″83, despite a butterfly fraction not as brilliant as usual and a freestyle ripped especially in the last twenty-five meters, and far from his Italian record of 3’57″01 set last December for the European title: a podium that, precisely because of the difficulties due to the fatigue accumulated in seven days, is worth so much and that projects Rocket into the elite of world swimming. Russian Ilia Borodin won in 3’56″83 and the only one to go under 3’57. He puts the silver around his neck the U.S. Carson Forster in 3’57″45. “The time objectively was not è exceptional. In the water I felt a bit heavy – explains Razzetti, molded by four years in Livorno by Stefano Franceschi – In front they were all impregnable. I am però happy to have taken another medal. Now a little rest and then I will think about the season in long”.

Ten years ago at San Raffaele in Milan they told him he would not be able to swim anymore because of heart problems. He però as a warrior and a boy of rarà generosity; never gave up and is now blossoming champion. Michele Busa grows again and, after his fifth place with Italian record (22″01) in the 50, è resounding fourth with personal best in the 100 butterfly thirty-seven hundredths behind Australia’s Matthew Temple in 48″71. Outstanding performance by the 23-year-old from Faenza – a member of Imolanuoto and coached by Cesare Casella – who swam in 49″08, with a super third twenty-five in 12″93 and an excellent last one in 13″38, which erases the 49″11 sealed in the semifinals when he demolished the 50″30 recorded just twenty days ago at the Absolute. Winning, for a super hat trick after success in the 50 butterfly and 100 medley, Swiss Noè Ponti with a world record of 47″71, seven hundredths faster than the 47″78 printed by U.S. Caeleb Dressel in 2020. The silver è by Frenchman Maxime Grousset in 48″57. “I was already at the limit in the semifinals and this evening I tried to pull out the remaining energy – Busa tells – I made incredible progress and è all credit to Cesare (Casella ed.): without him I would not be here today”. Seventh, an however good and brave, Simone Stefanì. The 24-year-old from Maglie – a card-carrying member of Fiamme Oro and Time Limit – finished in 49″29 and pagà perhaps the first fifty in 22″66 too sparse. “For me è a rebirth, after three not easy seasons – explains the student of Andrea Sabino – Now I hope to have a great year in long”.

He’s entered a new dimension after his seventh place at the Olympics and now looks with justified ambitions to the future. Luca De Tullio excelled at the Duna Arena and è fifth in the 800, which has always been his race. Bravissimo the 21-year-old from Bari – a member of Fiamme Oro and CC Aniene, coached for the past two months by Fabrizio Antonelli at the Ostia Federal Center – who touches in 7’34″32 for the second personal best ever. The gold è by surprise Hungarian Zalan Sarkany 7’30″56, silver by German Florian Wellbrock in 7’31″90 and bronze by Tunisian Ahmed Jaouadi – first in the 1500 – in 7’31″93. “The podium is not è then so distant and for a few moments I even caressed it – emphasizes the Apulian middle-distance runner – I forò am very satisfied with my test. I have changed many things in these months and I am galvanized, because I feel I have important margins of growth. I return from Budapest with very good feelings and excellent indications”.

Closing the evening was the seventh place of the 4×100 mixed, which is appearing for the first time on the international stage. Lorenzo Mora (50″11), Ludovico Blu Art Viberti (57″08), Elena Capretta (56″77) and Sara Curtis (51″58) finish in 3’35″54 which improves on the 3’37″26 swam by the same protagonists, but with Sofia Morini in the last fraction, in the battery. Neutral Nation Representative won in 3’30″47. Burned the United States second in 3’30″55 and Canada third in 3’31″97. For all speaks the most experienced Lorenzo Mora (Red Flames/VVFF Modena): “We gave our best, considering that there’s some tiredness in the team. It’s a new relay and so we can only grow in this context”.

Sofia Goggia on the podium

After 318 days away from the slopes, Sofia Goggia is back on track and relishing the joy of the podium in the women’s downhill in Beaver Creek. The 32-year-old champion from Bergamo, who got a fractured tibia and right tibial malleolus in training last February 5, confirmed once again her strength of character that has enabled her so many times during her career to overcome bad injuries.

This time, after a small scare that occurred to her after a tenth of a second when she took a dangerous low-speed edge, she unleashed her horses meter after meter. Overcoming the dreaded first technical part of the track that had bothered her in the trial days, she gradually accelerated on the long bends of the Birds of Prey, finishing at the finish line with a time of 1’32″54 with one’more imperfection in the final part, which caused her to lose precious hundredths. In the end, better than her did only Cornelia Huetter, holder of the specialty cup, who preceded her somewhat surprisingly by 16 hundredths, while Lara Gut completed the podium 34 hundredths behind the winner.

For Goggia it is podium number 55 of her career, but above all an incredible confidence boost that erases in one fell swoop all the fears of the last months, now it is only a matter of recovering the full form, which will come with the next scheduled appointments on the European snows. Three other azzurre finished the race in the top-10: an excellent Marta Bassino collected seventh position, three tenths from the podium, while Federica Brignone è finished ninth and Laura Pirovano eleventh.

Also positive was Roberta Melesi, 18th and at the milgiore placing ever in the specialty, while Elena Curtoni broke the ice. The Valtellinese, returning a year after her bad fall in Sankt Moritz, did not logically force her hand and 24th place è a starting point. Just behind Nadia Delago, 27th, while Sara Thaler, Nadia Delago and Vicky Bernardi finished outside the 30. The overall ranking sees Camille Rast in the lead with 287 points against the 245 of the injured Mikaela Shiffrin, third è the Croatian Zrink Ljutic with 202. On Sunday, December 15, it is back on track with the first super-giant of the year at 7 p.m. Italian time.