The opponents were already frightened by Vlhová during training. She got in their head – PRAVDA.sk

Four winning rides, two wins, no big mistake. Petra Vlhová showed a great slalom form over the weekend. She dominated both Alpine Skiers’ World Cup races in Levi.

Photo: SITA / AP, Alessandro Trovati

The top three repeated it on Saturday after Sunday.

After a turbulent period, he has a smile on his face again, even though he is under pressure. “At every start of this season, he will have to show the world that changing coach Livio Magoni to Mauro Pini was the right choice,” says assistant coach coach Matteo Baldissarutti, 40.

Did you celebrate a great weekend in Levi?

A little yes, but it was nothing big. We were tired.

Is there any negative of last weekend at all?

Probably not. Skiing is seldom perfect, but we did it. Petra already felt good on the start on Saturday. The material and the pad suited her.

She was a little worried about the second round of Sunday’s slalom. The track didn’t suit her, but she did very well. Everything went smoothly.

Her technique seemed less elaborate than in the past. Do you agree?

Yes, Petra is more graceful in the arches. Thanks to this, it can handle even more demanding situations. We focused on that before the start of the season. We talked to Mauro about what and how we would improve.

How challenging is it when you work with one of the best slalom skiers in the world?

Very, looking for details. We try to transmit the power and acceleration from the ski at the right moment and as best we can.

Gradually, Petra understood this and her slalom performance changed and improved. She was strong in the past, but she couldn’t make the most of it. Today, thanks to a strong mentality, he can handle it.

And what about the competition? Did anything surprise you?

In Levi, we trained side by side with our opponents. Everyone knew how we were doing and we knew how strong the competition would be. Katharina Liensberger was not at her best.

Mikaela Shiffrin had good and weaker rides, such a sinusoid. I think the opponents saw Petrina’s face in training and got scared. It hit them in the head and they stayed under pressure. Maybe it helped us.

How?

Petra is very strong mentally, I admire it more and more. One thing is that he sees a small advantage over rivals. But to confirm this in the race is the second thing. There are very few such athletes, Petra belongs to them.

After winning a big globe and changing coach, some pressure has been released, but you still have to show form. A better atmosphere in the renewed team helped her. She feels stronger and more at ease.

Is he smiling more than last year?

Certainly, although Petra is under tremendous pressure again. During each start of this season, he will have to show the world that changing Magoni to Pini was the right choice. She knew she had to do it. Peter was shocked by criticism in an Italian newspaper, while Livia was shocked.

Magoni taught me that if an athlete wants you, you have no reason to leave. I accepted the soft offer to continue and I am happy. I feel very good with Petra, Matej or Boris.

You played a role in choosing a new coach. Why did you design Pini for Vlhovec?

I knew him and I knew he was the opposite of Livia. I told myself that Petra needed a calm man. He is a natural and great motivator.

It puts pressure on Petra, but in a different way than she was used to. Livio wanted everything to be 100 percent – every hour, day, month. When Pini and I are doing, there is no time for fun. When we’re done, team consolidation begins.

Great performance in Sölden, excellent in Levi. What do you expect from this weekend in Killington?

We are on a great wave, so hopefully it will continue. We will do our best to fight for the top positions.

We stay in Finland for three more days and we will train. We will fly to the USA on Wednesday and after Killington we will prepare for the next races.

Is it true that you miss the convention in Lake Louise on December 3rd and 4th?

Yes, they are not in the program. We will train.

Petra Vlhová and her program in the season 2021/22

Date of the event	Place and discipline	Location of Vlhovova
October 23	Sölden – a huge slalom	3rd place
November 13	Lech Zürs – parallel slalom	did not start
November 20	Levi – slalom	1st place
November 21	Levi – slalom	1st place
November 27	Killington – giant slalom
November 28	Killington – slalom
December 3	Lake Louise – downhill
December 4	Lake Louise – downhill
December 5	Lake Louise – super G
December 11	St. Moritz – super G
December 12	St. Moritz – super G
December 18	Val d´Isere – exit
December 19	Val d´Isere – super G
December 28	Lienz – giant slalom
December 29	Lienz – slalom
January 4	Zagreb – slalom
January 8	Maribor – giant slalom
January 9	Maribor – slalom
January 11	Flachau – slalom
January 15	Zauchensee – exit
January 16	Zauchensee – super G
January 22	Cortina d’Ampezzo – exit
January 23	Cortina d’Ampezzo – super G
January 25	Kronplatz – giant slalom
January 29	Garmisch Partenkirchen – downhill
January 30	Garmisch Partenkirchen – super G
February 7	Beijing Olympics – a huge slalom
February 9	Beijing Olympics – slalom
February 11	Olympic Games in Beijing – super G
February 15	Olympic Games in Beijing – Congress
February 17	Beijing Olympic Games – combination
February 19	Beijing Olympics – team competition
February 26	Crans Montana – exit
February 27	Crans Montana – exit
March 5	Lenzerheide – super G
March 6	Lenzerheide – giant slalom
March 11	Are – a huge slalom
March 12	Are – slalom
March 16	SP final in Courchevel – downhill
March 17	SP final in Courchevel – super G
March 18	SP final in Courchevel – team competition
March 19	SP final in Courchevel – slalom
March 20	SP final in Courchevel – huge slalom

WC ranking (after 3 of 37 races):

1. Vlhová (SR) and Shiffrin (USA) both 260, 3. Slokarová (SVN) 184, 4. Dürrová (DEU) 156,, 5. Stjernesundová (NOR) 140, 6. Liensbergerová (AUT) 137

Slalom ranking (after 2 of 9 races):

1. Vlhová 200 points, 2. Shiffrinová 160, 3. Dürrová 120, 4. Holdenerová 86, 5. Gisinová (both CHEES) 77, 6. Liensbergerová 72

The order in FIG. slalom (after 1 of 9 races):

1. Shiffrin 100 points, 2. Gutová-Behramiová 80, 3. Vlhová 60, 4. Liensbergerová 50, 5. Tvibergová (NOR) 45, 6. Hrovatová (Slov.) 40

Order of parallel competitions (1):

1. Slokarová 100, 2. Stjernesundová 80, 3. Lysdahlová 60, 4. Bassinová (ITA) 50, 5. Hectorová 45, 6. Monsenová (NOR) 40