Turin, Dec. 20 (LaPresse) – Mattia Casse conquers the Saslong. The Val Gardena (Bolzano) Super-G, which opened the long Dolomite leg, saw the 34-year-old from Piedmont dominate to claim the first World Cup victory of his career, enriching a record that until today included three third places and numerous near-podium finishes.
This is only the second Italian victory ever in the Val Gardena Super-G, following Werner Heel's triumph in 2008. Italy had been absent from the top step of the Super-G World Cup podium since Dominik Paris's win in Soldeu in March 2019.
Casse skillfully interpreted the Gardena course, finishing in 1:28.23, immediately giving the impression of having achieved something extraordinary. When Marco Odermatt followed just minutes later with a gap of 0.43 seconds, despite no major errors, that impression only grew stronger.
But surprises are always around the corner in Val Gardena, and this time, it was American Jared Goldberg who kept everyone on edge. Strong in the upper and final sections, Goldberg finished just 0.01 seconds behind Casse, securing his first career podium. This result pushed Odermatt to third place.
Norwegian Fredrik Moeller was a surprising fourth, 0.54 seconds behind, followed by Swiss Stefan Rogentin and Canadian Cameron Alexander, tied for fifth at 0.57 seconds off Casse's time.