Press release
Marie-Michele Gagnon wins the Alpine Combined in Grandvalira under a heavy snowfall.
The Canadian Marie-Michele Gagnon has topped the Women’s Ski World Cup podium in Andorra after adding the best time in the Super-G and Slalom runs played in El Tarter. The second and third position have been for the Swiss Wendy Holdener and the French Anne-Sophie Barthet, respectively. With this race, Gagnon provisionally leaders the Alpine Combined ranking, ex aequo with Lara Gut, and Lindsey Vonn who maintains the FIS overall leadership.
The American Lindsay Vonn Super-G run who has won even with the injury she suffered yesterday, must be highlighted. In slalom she has been unable to maintain her position and has finished the 13th showing great competitive spirit.
The emblematic Abarset terrace has been the scene of the vibrant closing ceremony of this World Cup which stands out for the intense work done by the resort staff to leave the slopes in perfect conditions after the snowfalls that have accumulated up to 50 cm.
Great expectation for the Grandvalira Soldeu El Tarter World Cup finals 2019, after consolidating an organization which has overcome meteorology and augmented its experience demonstrating great professionalism to the FIS.
Andorra la Vella, 28th of February 2016 – A heavy snowfall has welcome the final day of the Grandvalira World Cup, the only race in the Pyrenees of the FIS Alpine Skiing highest circuit. The races in El Tarter have been favoured by a weather turnaround allowing the races to be developed successfully even with intermittent heavy snowfalls.
The two slopes where the Àliga SG and Àliga SL competitions were playing today have been under the supervision and maintenance of the resort staff, which has once again worked hard and achieved optimal conditions throughout the whole circuit, even with the 50 cm of new snow recorded over the weekend.
The first racer has opened the Super-G starting gate at 12am, an hour and a half later than planned, in order to ensure safety for racers and good track conditions. Later, at 2.30pm, skiers completed the Alpine Combined race with the Slalom run. The 56 participants have been welcomed with a great ovation at the finish line, which today has vibrated again with more than 4500 spectators, among skiers and lots of clubs.
Vonn reaffirms her quality
The skier with the most wins in the Women's Alpine skiing World Cup (76), Lindsey Vonn has shown once again her competitive spirit during today's race. The favorite, who yesterday suffered a fall in the Super-G and had a minor injury to his left knee, has shown that she is the queen of this discipline setting the best time of 57s04 in today Super-G. She has not been so lucky in the Slalom run where she has registered the 23rd time, relegating her to the 13th position Alpine Combined. It has neither been a successful weekend for the main rival to the overall World Cup, the Swiss Lara Gut, who has not finished the race today after being 5th in the Super-G run.
Vonn said after the race that "I really did not think to be able to run today, especially considering inflammation of my knee, but with the drainage of this morning I have felt much better and I've wanted to try. The Super-G has gone much better than I expected, and in the Slalom I was ready to try to do my best, but when I heard that Lara had not finished, I changed my strategy and I decided to ski to have fun and get to the finish line without risking much. " And she added, "I think it has been a good decision and I've got very important points today for the combined and the title, and I am still the leader in the overall standings. So I think it has been worth, and I will remember this day and will remember that I did not give up in Grandvalira.
Marie-Michele Gagnon at the head of the Alpine Combined
Marie-Michele Gagnon, born in 1989 in Canada, who was the 13th in the Super-G run, has marked his second time in Slalom (45s66), which has moved her to the top position of the final (1m43s66). In addition, Gagnon gets 100 points for the victory and places at the head, tying with Vonn and Lara Gut at 100 points, in the Alpine Combine classification. In her track record, Gagnon has accumulated a total of 153 participations in the World Cup, with four podiums and two wins, including today one. She has also participated in four World Championships since 2009 and at the Vancouver'10 and Sochi'14 Olympic Games.
Swiss Wendy Holdener, 25th in Super-G, set the slalom best time (45s60) moving her up to the second podium position with an account of 1m43s86. The skier born in 1993, Slalom specialist, ranks the 4th of AC (98 points), accounts 100 participations in World Cup, with four podiums and a win (City Event in Stockholm). She has also participated in three World Championships since 2011 and at the Sochi'14 Olympic Games.
The first podium in a World Cup has been for Anne-Sophie Barthet who has finished third in the Alpine Combined with a total of 1m44s27, after achieving the third place in the Slalom (45s87) and 27th in Super-G. The French skier, born in 1988, which places at the 10th position in AC, has already run 150 World Cup races and today has had a great day. Barthet has also participated in 3 World Championships (Are 2007, Garmisch-Partenkirchen 2011 and Schladming 2013), apart from the Sestriere'06, Whistler'10 and Sochi'14 Olympic Games.
A bird’s eye view X-form slope
Once again, the Àliga slope has been the focus of the Women’s Alpine Skiing World Cup. The launch of the Super-G has been given at 2,115 meters and the finish line was at 1715 meters and a total drop of 400 meters, while Slalom has been at 1,905 meters, with a drop of 190 meters.
With the Combined Alpine race the spectacular nature of this slope has been seen, as the Àliga SG intersects with Àliga SL, defining an "X" bird's eye view exactly like the Grandvalira logo.
Closing party
To finish up this world event, from 4pm a closing party for the racers, the organisation and all participants has been hosted on the mythical Abarset terrace.
Statements
Marie-Michele Gagnon
"I am impressed with the organization and the good conditions of the track considering the falling of 50 cm of new snow during the weekend. The snow was hard and icy, as it has to be for a World Cup and the same conditions have been kept for all skiers.
"The tracks preparation and maintenance staff already did a great job with gusts of wind of the World Cup 2012 and this year, with the snowfall, have shown again that the 2019 finals in Grandvalira are guaranteed and this is something we have commented among skiers.
I have been very surprised to see how skiing and snow is lived in Andorra. I have seen many people and a very good atmosphere in the finish line. Certainly it has become one of my favourite World Cup venues .
Wendy Holdener
It has been a good week after the Stockholm race. I think I made a discreet Super-G and a very good Slalom run, I'm happy with the end result.
“I would like to thank the organization for the great work throughout the weekend to ensure the good conditions on the slopes even with the snow falling up to half a meter.
Anne-Sophie Barthet
I would like to thank the Andorran Ski Federation (FAE) for the excellent workouts that I could make here last week, no doubt it has been noticed in the result.
"I am sorry for the organization for the weather situationduring the World Cup as last week the weather was great. However, the slopes have been cleaned very well, the snow was perfect. I really enjoyed the speed race, and although it is not my speciality I had fun”.
Jordi Pujol, World Cup Race Director
"The work done in this World Cup has been huge. In fact, it has been the most complex and toughest event of the high-level competitions that Grandvalira has hosted in recent years: four European Cup runs, two European Cup finals and two Women’s Alpine Skiing World Cups, in 2012 and the 2016 World Cup of this weekend. "
"The effort has been worthwhile and we could overcome all difficulties and have the circuit in optimal conditions for the racers. Coaches from different countries have congratulated us and this is a great recognition.
Francesc Caps, Minister of Tourism, Government of Andorra
"Hosting an event such as the Alpine Skiing World Cup is a great recognition for Andorra and is the result of many years of work and organization. We have shown that Andorra is a world high level ski destination and that the World Cup is a great opportunity to get to know us at international level".
Conrad Blanch, Director of the Organizing Committee
"Those have been two exceptional days of World Cup in which the three main objectives we pursued have been achieved: the international promotion of Andorra with media coverage, completing the sports program thanks to the huge efforts of many people who have worked non-stop and thirdly the number of visitors (about 10,000 people at the finish line in two days). "
"The balance is very satisfactory and adversities strengthen as organization" Andorra responds and we are ready to overcome difficult challenges. The accumulated experience has enabled us to earn the international respect to host the 2019 World Cup finals. "
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ABOUT GRANDVALIRA
Grandvalira is the largest resort in the Pyrenees and in the whole of Southern Europe, with a total of 128 slopes -of all difficulty levels- and 210 skiable kilometres, combined with a large selection of restaurants and leisure activities. The resort is a regular host of elite international competitions, such as the Ladies Alpine Ski World Cup, which will take place in February 2016; the Speed Skiing World Cup, the 6th edition of the Skiers Cup Freeride World Tour and the Freeride Junior World Championship.In 2019, Grandvalira will host the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Finals, the most important alpine ski circuit competition in the world. Grandvalira is located in the north of Andorra, on the edge of the border with France. The space that it occupies belongs to two of the seven Andorran parishes (Encamp and Canillo) and it is made up of six sectors that were united to make up a single resort: Pas de la Casa, Grau Roig, Soldeu, El Tarter, Canillo and Encamp. Find out more information at