Val Gardena/Gröden Power in the Alpine Ski World Cup
The Saslong is not only centerstage for the exciting speed classics in the Ski World Cup. Three alpine ski racers participating at this highest level of the competition call Val Gardena/Gröden their home.
Nicol Delago is the last skier from Val Gardena/Gröden to race on the Saslong in the World Cup. And also the only one who has ever been on the podium. In 2018, two women's World Cup races were held here following the men’s event. In the downhill, the then 22-year-old from Selva/Wolkenstein raced to second place and celebrated her first of a total of three podiums in the World Cup right here at home, of all places, which only came about by chance.
Her sister Nadia, who is one year younger, had to watch from the sidelines but celebrated her most significant career success almost ten months earlier. At the Winter Olympics in Beijing, she raced a nearly perfect run on Chinese snow and took the bronze medal in downhill. Now the two Delago sisters are aiming for more top results in the World Cup in the fast disciplines and, of course, also want to land on the podium at the World Championships in Courchevel.
Val Gardena/Gröden is not (currently) represented in the men's speed team. However, there are some up-and-coming talents who could one day follow in the footsteps of Peter Runggaldier and Werner Perathoner. However, Alex Vinatzer is competing at the top level in slalom. The only thing missing is his first victory, which should only be a matter of time given his talent and ability. The 23-year-old from Selva/Wolkenstein would also like to tackle giant slalom races soon and is working hard towards that goal. And who knows: maybe ski fans will be able to cheer on the three ski stars from Val Gardena/Gröden at a home race someday. The bid for the 2029 Alpine World Ski Championships is underway...