Despite the unusually warm temperatures for this time of year, the Sljeme Red Slope is ready to welcome the best slalom skiers in the world, who will fight for points in the World Cup at the Snow Queen 2022 trophy on January 4 and 5, 2022, reports Novi List.
On this occasion, a virtual press conference was held for the second year in a row because the International Ski Federation (FIS) has stringent anti-epidemic rules that will be even stricter from January 1.
“Everyone who competes, whether vaccinated or recovered from Covid-19, will also need to have a negative PCR test no older than 48 hours to appear at the start of the race,” said the Snow Queen Trophy Organizing Committee director and Croatian alpine team rep Vedran Pavlek.
“We are proud to be able to organize the race in these strange times,” said the President of the Croatian Ski Association and the Organizing Committee, Miho Glavic.
“Unfortunately, this year we will not have spectators along the track and in the stands,” Glavić added, and Vedran Pavlek explained the decision:
“We had to make that decision early, at the end of October, when the number of those infected was rising. It turned out to be a good decision. Here, the New Year’s jump tour, perhaps the largest ski competition globally, is being held without spectators. Instead, the focus will be on the best possible track preparation, the best possible TV broadcast, and the best possible results of Croatian skiers.”
Although the current weather conditions are not favorable, there is enough snow on the Sljeme slopes to hold the race, said the head of the Sljeme ski resort Marko Vidović.
“We only started producing artificial snow on December 7 and powered all the infrastructure we have. We did our best. The Red Slope is ready. We have had problems with temperatures for the last week. Fortunately, no southwest wind is fatal for Sljeme,” said Vdović and expressed hope that after the end of the Snow Queen, there will be favorable weather conditions that would allow additional snow trails and open ski resorts for citizens.
Good conditions from the first half of December provided Croatian skiers with plenty of space for training.
“Large amounts of snow were made at the beginning of December. Our skiers trained for seven, eight days in fantastic conditions. Unfortunately, training has stopped,” said Vedran Pavlek, but also announced that with favorable weather conditions in the coming days, there will again be space for training on the slopes of Sljeme.
“Clear evenings have been announced. There is enough snow on the Red Slope. It’s just a matter of preparation in the coming days. We will almost certainly not inject water into the track but only surface water. Our skiers will train on the Green Slope on January 1st and 2nd.”
Due to the impossibility of training on Sljeme, the best Croatian skier Filip Zubčić spoke from the Austrian ski resort Reiteralm, where he worked intensively on improving his giant slalom form, with which he was not satisfied, unlike the slalom in Val d’Isere which brought him third place and his first podium in World Cup races in this discipline. After two slaloms, Zubčić is fifth in the slalom rankings.
“The slalom started well this year. One goal was the slalom podium. I ski well; I’m in good shape. Now we are trying to improve our giant slalom form,” said Filip, who can hardly wait for the start of the race in which he achieved his best slalom result so far by winning fifth place last year.
“I can say that Sljeme is my home track, so I am always looking forward to the race. I like to come up because I can sleep at home.”
Last year’s race, the first pandemic edition of the Snow Queen Trophy, brought great results to Croatian skiers. Along with Zubčić, two others were among the top 15 – Matej Vidović in 12th place and Samuel Kolega in 15th place. Among the 30 was Istok Rhodes in 23rd place.
Although there will be no fans along the track and from the finish arena, Vedran Pavlek believes a similar scenario can be repeated this year.
“I believe that their long-term skiing on Sljeme will be an advantage. Even though there are no fans, skiing at home is an additional incentive. This may be an opportunity for Leona to join you.”
Leona Popović is currently the best Croatian female skier, who has constant points in slalom races this season, and won 14th place on Wednesday in Lienz, Austria, with the fifth-best time in the second run.
“I did not ski the first ride as I imagined. I knew I could do a lot better, and I had a great second run. We had good training on Sljeme. I think we prepared well,” said the 24-year-old from Mrkopalj, who has never reached the second run on Sljeme. The closest was in 2020 when she won 31st place in the first run and missed second place by nine-hundredths of a second.
“I wouldn’t bet on Sljeme, we’re not friends, but I’ll do my best.”
Along with Leona Popović, 17-year-old Zrinka Ljutić will be again at the start of the Snow Queen. She was four-hundredths of a second out of the second run in Lienz, which is also a good announcement that she might win her first World Cup points on Sljeme.
“Leona has made a really serious series; she is progressing slowly and towards the first strong group. She still has to get used to the new environment in the World Cup. I do not doubt that she will have a great skiing career; she needs to be patient,” said Vedran Pavlek.
The third Croatian representative is Andrea Komšić from Zagreb.
Last season’s World Cup race was the most-viewed World Cup race and was watched live by 26.7 million spectators, more than the legendary downhill race in Kitzbuehel. So the Snow Queen organizers can be happy for a good time and placement within the New Year’s jump tour in Innsbruck, as it will be this year.
“It is a reward for everyone and an additional incentive to work in the future,” said Pavlek.
The first run is scheduled for 12:30 pm, and the second will begin at 4:05 pm. It will be the 16th edition of the women’s slalom on the Red Slope, while on January 5, male skiers will fight for the 13th time. The start of the first run is at 3:30 pm, and the second is at 6:40 pm.
Along with Filip Zubčić, Matej Vidović and Samuel Kolega, Leon Nikić and Tvrtko Ljutić will be at the start in the expanded Croatian contingent, and the sixth place could be taken by the former world junior slalom champion and returnee after Istok Rodeš’s severe elbow injury.
“Istok had an atypical injury; he had to undergo reoperation. He is recovering well, and the decision on whether to perform will be made after the New Year, after training on the Green Slope, maybe even the day before the race.”
Unfortunately, Elias Kolega will not be among those on the starting list for the second year in a row.
“He had two serious injuries, two fractures. He has not healed perfectly; he still feels pain in his lower leg. But, for him, the season is over, and we hope that he will be able to start training in the spring,” Pavlek revealed.
PCR testing will also decide who will be at the start of the race. The coronavirus stopped Mikaela Shiffrin from performing in Lienz. Still, Vedran Pavlek received indications that the leading skier of the World Cup and co-recorder of Sljeme races with four victories could return to competitions on the Red Slope.
“They inquired about training opportunities on Sljeme. She is waiting to be released from isolation, which is within the competence of the Austrian authorities. Nevertheless, her camp is very optimistic about her competing on Sljeme.”
The Minister of Tourism and Sports, Nikolina Brnjac, and the Deputy Mayor of Zagreb Luka Korlaet, expressed their support for the race with their video messages, emphasizing the importance of this sporting event for the promotion of Croatia and Zagreb.
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