On COVID-hit women’s tour, ‘every moment counts’
The art of slalom has extended off the hill and has now become a metaphor for navigating COVID as the World Cup launches into 2022 with women’s SL Tuesday in Zagreb, Croatia. Put in terms of attrition, “We’re down to about 50% of our staff when you include service technicians, coaches and other staff,” said Head US women’s coach Paul Kristofic. As for the athletes, every team sits on pins and needles as they await the results of tomorrow’s PCR tests. A negative gets you on the board for the draw that takes place at roughly 5:20 p.m. local time during the team captains meeting. A positive means you’re out for a minimum of 10 days per the updated FIS rules, which were released shortly after Christmas.
“Every moment counts,” says Kristofic. That is not hyperbole in the case of his marquee athlete, Mikaela Shiffrin, who, through reporting her positive test on Dec. 27, got the initial results outside the 10-day window leading into Zagreb. “She’s not in Zagreb yet, but she will take the test at the very last moment to give her the best chance of a negative.” As per the rules FIS updated just after Christmas, the 10-day mandatory quarantine must be followed by a negative PCR test to return to action. If after 14 days of quarantine someone still tests positive, they can undergo an individual assessment of viral history, if it can be proven the infection is the result of Delta and that the viral loads are below the minimum threshold. If it’s Omicron, until further notice, only a negative test will restore eligibility. As an example, Lara Gut-Behrami underwent a 10-day quarantine, but still tested positive just before the post-Christmas races in Lienz. She had to sit out.
Compared to the 2021 season, where most resorts were shut down, fans were banned, and hotels were occupied only by teams, this season teams have been left to run the gauntlet of fully operational hotels, open dining rooms and fans nosed up to the barriers. Among the top-ranked women in the world on the infected list, Gut-Behrami and Shiffrin were preceded by Katherina Liensberger and Alice Robinson. The most recent add has been Maryna Gasienica-Daniel, of Poland, who reported her positive finding the same day as Shiffrin.
“It’s tremendously stressful,” says Kristofic, who says he spent his entire Christmas break on the phone navigating updated protocols, travel and staff rejiggering along tightening team protocols. “Right now, we test everyone, every day.” Along with FIS and local testing requirements, “We have tested about 10 times in the last seven days,” he added. When possible, Kristofic puts his athletes in single rooms and arranges for private dining as well as sequestered ski rooms for his technicians. But there is only so much that can be done to avoid the virus. It begs the question as to whether teams might consider skipping races inside a 10-day window of their travel to Beijing. But, Kristofic says they’re not there yet. “It’s not just about getting there but getting there with momentum and good ranking so you can have a good start position. So, you can’t just hide away from it and expect to be ready when you get there.”
UPDATE: On Monday morning, Shiffrin announced on her social media platforms that she will indeed be racing in Zagreb, apparently clearing protocols and testing negative.
It is no surprise to those who follow the sport that start position is more important in slalom than in any of the other disciplines. In the last 220 women’s slalom races over the last two decades, there have been nine victories with bibs higher than 15. Over that same period the odds of landing on the podium for racers with a bib higher than 15 is roughly 5%.
Right now, American Paula Moltzan sits 15th on what is known as the World Cup Start List, which is derived from her ranking last year along with points accumulated this year. How she wouldn’t love to have some time off after sustaining two fractures in her left wrist in mid-December. Doctors have told her it will require surgery, but she can ill afford to take a break now. She’ll ski through the pain, which shoots through her every time she pushes out of the start and stings with each pole plant and gate block. Shiffrin has so many points, she’ll remain in the coveted top seven in almost any scenario, but if she can’t produce a negative test by Monday around 5 pm local time, her odds of winning the World Cup slalom title drop drastically. It will mean missing a second of the nine scheduled slalom races with rival Petra Vlhova already leading the rankings by 120 points.
Meanwhile, American teammate Nina O’Brien continues to grind to find her slalom form. O’Brien finished her 2021 season ranked just out of the top 30, but ultimately starting in the top 30 due to retirements and injuries. Without a scoring finish this year, she’s dropped back into the 40s. Zagreb can be good to high numbers if the weather stays cool, but that seems not the case in 2022. AJ Hurt will endure a similar start number but has shown tremendous speed this season with split times among the top 10. Coaches say she has been remarkably consistent in training but transferring that form to race day remains the challenge. Katie Hensien, who had a breakout season last year, is still working her way back to form after a patellar injury that forced her to miss most of November. The U.S. team will be rounded out by Zoe Zimmermann and Nicola Rountree-Williams, who will be making her World Cup debut. Independent American Lila Lapanja is also expected to make a start.
There, of course, will be all the usual contenders such as the top five from the recent slalom in Austria – Vlhova, Liensberger, Michelle Gisin, Katharina Truppe, Wendy Holdener. Or there won’t be, depending on the tomorrow’s PCR test results.
UPDATE: As of Monday morning, Swiss skiers Camille Rast, Aline Danioth, and Mélanie Meillard had tested positive. Italy’s Vera Tschurtschenthaler was also confirmed positive, as was Franziska Gritsch of Austria. Americans Nina O’Brien and AJ Hurt are also out with positive tests. Norway’s Thea Louise Stjernesund is also out.
About the Author: Steve Porino
