Could we see a completely new face at the top of the podium at the 57th edition of the Saslong Classic? It is quite possible, as there are only three skiers in this year's field who have already medaled in Val Gardena/Gröden.

In the absence of the injured Saslong dominator Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, it is harder than ever to identify a top favorite for the races at the foot of the Sassolungo/Langkofel. There are a whole series of contenders for victory – but no one really stands out from the list of top skiers.

The three speed aces who know what victory in Val Gardena/Gröden feels like are Dominik Paris, Bryce Bennett and Vincent Kriechmayr. While Paris caused a stir in the finish area last year with his first home victory since 2008, Bennett has already triumphed twice (2021 and 2023) on his favorite course. Vincent Kriechmayr has lead on the Saslong three times – in addition to a downhill victory (2022), the Austrian has two super-G victories (2019 and 2022) and is thus the only active skier in the field to have already won a super-G here.

First victory for Casse or Crawford?
It is clear that both Paris, Bennett and Kriechmayr are capable of another victory. However, the field seems more evenly matched than ever this year, with the world's best skiers even closer together. If you ask the bookmakers, Marco Odermatt is the one to watch. The reigning Downhill World Cup winner has already made three podium appearances in Val Gardena/Gröden and also performed strongly in second place in the first training session. Speaking of training runs: the two fastest in training, Mattia Casse (third in the downhill in 2022) and James Crawford (most recently fifth in the downhill three times in a row), cannot be omitted from the list for the weekend. For Casse and Crawford, it would not only be their first triumph on the Saslong, but their first ever World Cup victory.

The French speed racers around Cyprien Sarrazin and Nils Allegre, as well as the Val Gardena/Gröden specialists hailing all the way from the US are also forces to be reckoned with. And there are also the many dangerous outsiders who leave the start house towards the end of the race: the Saslong is one of the few World Cup courses that is known for skiers with high numbers to win a medal. It would not be the first time that a surprise winner has made headlines in Val Gardena/Gröden...