Soelden Women’s Preview: Who and What to Watch For

It’s finally here. The long-awaited World Cup season opener to be held this weekend on the Rettenbach Glacier in Soelden, Austria. On Saturday, October 27 at 10 am CET, the ladies will kick off their first giant slalom run of the winter, exploding into another year of potential glory as the World Championships in Are, Sweden await down the line.

Tech athletes new and old to the circuit have been training all summer for this race, both physically and mentally. Soelden is typically an indication of who the serious contenders for the GS overall title will be in the upcoming season, and each woman wants to see her name in the top three.

Which begs the question, who will make it to the podium this year?

Last year, Viktoria Rebensburg came out on top during the season opener, which kick-started a great year for the German. She would go on to snag the overall World Cup title in GS, as well as 3rd in the ladies overall.

Given her track record last season, the 29-year-old is poised to perform well again this year. In a recent interview with a Bavarian media outlet, BR24, Rebensburg made clear her upcoming goals.

“I am now number one in the giant slalom again. Everyone is trying to hunt me. I want to defend the [title], of course, but I also want to take the final step in Super G. And of course, I would like to take home a medal at the season highlight, the World Championships in Are” she said.

Another top contender for the podium this Saturday is the 29-year-old Frenchwoman, Tessa Worley. She took 2nd in Soelden last year and earned three more podiums after that earning her a second place in finish in the ladies overall for GS. In 2017, she won the GS Overall.

Rebensburg and Worley celebrate after the Soelden Podium. Image Credit: GEPA pictures/Andreas Pranter

Worley has noted that after a disappointing outcome in PyeongChang, last season left a bitter taste in her mouth despite the rest of the season’s success. All the more reason for her to be driven to perform at Soelden. She told Ouest France this week that this season she is hungry for wins, medals, and titles.

When asked about her past overall win in the giant slalom and the potential to defend it, she interrupted the reporter, saying:

“I will not have to defend it but to go get another one. To think that every two years we would have something to defend is pressurizing. In Åre, next February, all the others will be girls to beat. Me, I’ll have a new opportunity to hit a big shot.”

One thing is for sure, Worley is fired up and ready to prove herself worthy of yet another globe.

AJ Hurt, Tricia Mangan, and Nina O’Brien will be representing the Americans alongside fan favorite, Mikaela Shiffrin. Shiffrin is an obvious threat to the podium, given her performance at the venue over the past four years. 2017 was the first year she landed off the podium in fourth, after tying for first with Anna Fenninger (now Veith) of Austria back in 2014, and seizing a second place finish the following two years. Not to mention in 2018 she won gold competing in GS at PyeongChang and a 3rd place podium in the GS overall standings.

Given her success, both in Soelden and in the giant slalom event overall, she’s a surefire bet for the podium if she skis well. Coming into this season, she’s approaching her skiing with a fresh outlook, which could make her even more of a threat. In a recent press conference, she noted that she is more excited for Soelden than she has been in the past, and she’s feeling confident in her skiing after training, despite the lack of snow.

“This year I feel a lot more comfortable with my skiing or just kind of comfortable with the whole process. And that’s been great, but I’m sure as we get closer to the race I’ll feel a little bit of that preseason nerves, which is good and healthy and expected,” Shiffrin said.

Shiffrin competing in Soelden last year. Image Credit: GEPA pictures/Andreas Pranter

Other notable racers to watch for are World Cup veterans Federica Brignone of Italy and Lara Gut of Switzerland. Each woman has won at Soelden in the past – Gut in 2016, and Brignone in 2015, which was her first career victory. But recently, both have struggled with injury.

In early August, Brignone announced she would be taking some time off from training due to injuries to the knee, femur, a small fracture to the tibial plateau, and an LCL sprain.  But recently has been back on skis and is feeling more than prepared to push out of the start on Saturday. 

“The most fearful adversary is me. It’s the toughest challenge in an individual sport. But athletes who have extraordinary mental clarity in skiing are stronger than much [more] physically prepared opponents,” she said in an interview with the Italian magazine, iO Donna, in early October.

Mental clarity and positivity, she notes, are a few of her strengths.

Gut, on the other hand, has been struggling with her injury since the 2015/16 season. In 2016, she became the first Swiss woman to win the overall World Cup title since Vreni Schneider claimed it in 1995. Although she is known as a speed specialist, she has made a few strides in the giant slalom, especially in the 2016/17 season and 2015/16 season when she took a 3rd place podium in the overall giant slalom title.

Gut takes a breather in the finish corral after her run in Soelden. Image Credit: GEPA pictures/Christian Walgram

After taking more time to focus on “Lara the person” versus “Lara the athlete”, over the past few years, she feels that a newfound carefree attitude can reignite the drive to win that she held a few years ago. 

“I’ve grown into an athlete whose sense of life is not just reduced to further victories. In recent years, I have learned that inner peace and modesty are crucial if a project is to succeed,” she said in a recent conversation with SwissSki.

Rebensburg, Worley, and Brignone are known for consistent top performances in the giant slalom, whereas Shiffrin is notorious for being more of a slalom guru, although in recent years she has proved to be a proficient all-around skier. And yes, Gut is a speed specialist, but her success in the giant slalom is too recent for her to be thrown out of the mix.

Distinguished racers who will not be competing in the season opener are Sofia Goggia of Italy, who is out with a fractured right ankle, and Nina Haver-Loeseth of Norway, who will be taking a break after straining a tendon in her knee.