I'm blown away by the whole thing......but a coach friend, "quite close to this" reminded me last night that she has been drilled and coached at "working terrain" since she was a little tyke. Not so much pure gliding, but the more subtle art of working the backsides, and downhill sides of ripples, bumps and "terrain" to accelerate on each. I was kind of on the "blah-blah" semi listening mode. I think he's right. She's making time on the flats that is more than gliding. And she's killing the big turns.
The other thing is that it's a bit easier to look like a superstar in the flats when you are the most fit racer in the field, which is the word. Can do whatever it takes, full gas, right through the finish. Not the case with the majority of the field. She is just a phenom.
I don't care if it "is only LL", or that the field is diminished, injured, banged up, etc. Not issues.
FOUR career WC DH starts. One win, one other podium. That's amazing!!
Big congratulations!
This is going to be incredibly interesting to watch. Looks like we have a threat to podium/win in every event. How do they manage her schedule?
She may start in all five events in Korea, and have a very strong chance to podium in ALL five.
Unbelievable, to me. Love it!
The more interesting thing to me is that at LL, the Head skis did not appear to be the speed wagons. Very complicated, as somebody like Primoz can explain, but I would normally expect some very fast running skis under a number of those pairs of boots, and they were not. Conversely, MS had great skis. And her boots sure as heck worked! Both surprise me a bit. It may be that they were merely "running well", and that the pilot herself just killed it! "Murdered it!" I'm going with that one.
So, so happy for her.