Brignone Can Ski Clear of Shiffrin in Solden This Saturday
This weekend, the 2023/24 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season will get underway in Solden, Austria. Men’s and Women’s Giant Slalom events will kick off the 58th consecutive year of the World Cup competition. Most of the action from all races will be broadcast live on Eurosport.
Mikaela Shiffrin (bib 1) and Federica Brignone (5) have shared many podiums in Giant Slalom competition. Can the Italian come out on top this Saturday? ©GettyImages
Thirty-seven locations – from Palisades Tahoe in California to Bansko in Bulgaria – are scheduled to host events in the coming months. There are 45 races planned on both the Men’s and Women’s 2023-24 World Cup calendar. Betting will be available on all races and the outright season titles.
The FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Explained
For every race, points are awarded to the top 30 finishers: The winner receives 100 points, there are 80 for second, 60 for third, and points are continually staggered down to 1 point for 30th place.
The skier with the most points at the end of the season will receive a nine-kilogram crystal globe for taking the ‘Overall’ category. Prizes are also awarded to winners of each race discipline. The winners of the Downhill, Super-G, Giant Slalom and Slalom receive a smaller 3.5-kilo crystal globe.
Last season, America’s Mikaela Shiffrin won three crystal globes for Slalom, Giant Slalom and the Overall category. Her 14 race wins made her the first skier to win over $1 million in a single season. She now owns 15 crystal globes.
The Women Alpine Skiing World Cup starts on Saturday⛷️ This will be the 58th edition of the event🎿#AlpineSkiing #FISalpine #FIS #Solden pic.twitter.com/msBjjnuzE1
— winter_sports_news (@winterspo_news) October 25, 2023
Bookies at Odds Over Shiffrin on Saturday
The winter of 2022/23 was a remarkable period for Shiffrin as the 28-year-old surpassed the all-time World Cup win record. The historic mark belonged to Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark. He set the bar at 86 race victories in 1989. The Colorado native has now scored 88 times, and in 2023/24, she is targeting her sixth Overall title after claiming the past two.
Winter sports betting sites have the 2014 Olympic champion priced on 1/5 to take that sixth title. However, she is a standout 7/4 to win the season opener at Solden this weekend. That price, available with Unibet, is remarkable given bookmaking rivals, bet365 quote her on even money. Whose opinion is correct?
Solden’s 2022 race was cancelled, but Shiffrin won the contest in 2021 and 2014 (dead-heating) and finished runner-up in the race three times in between. The course (the Rettenbach slope) features a vertical drop of 1,214 feet and a maximum gradient of 34.3 degrees. Widely regarded as the most difficult giant slalom on the women’s circuit, its technical demands should suit Shiffrin above all others.
Brignone Has Form to Surprise in Solden
Although this layout will not favour Petra Vlhova, fans and punters should get a good idea of the shape of the Slovakian star. The reigning Slalom Olympic champion is one of the few skiers to truly challenge Shiffrin. In fact, in 2021, she won the Overall title and took crystal globes for Slalom in 2020 and 2022.
Indeed, Saturday’s race – which is decided on the combined time of two runs – should prove an excellent indicator of the well-being of many skiers. Furthermore, depending on an individual’s fitness, there could be some outstanding betting value to be had.
For example, ski betting sites cannot decide on the true odds of Italy’s Federica Brignone. Her price ranges between 7/2 and 11/2, depending on where you shop. At the bigger price, she is an outstanding proposition. To be safe, the bet365 quote of 6/5 about her finishing on the podium is the better bet option.
For why? Brignone has taken 29 podium finishes in Giant Slalom races during her career. That haul includes victory in Solden in 2015. In 2020, she won the Overall crystal globe and the Giant Slalom globe. The 2021/22 season yielded four race wins and a silver medal in Giant Slalom at the Winter Olympics.
Naysayers will rightly point out, at 33, she is in the twilight of her career. Additionally, she won only one race last season. But a close inspection of the formbook shows Brignone claimed seven medals between January and March 2023 – making it, numerically, her second most productive season in 14 years on the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup tour.
