For Italy it was a real success: Massimiliano Blardone won the Giant Slalom in Alta val Badia. After a rather unhappy season, at the end of which there was almost talk of the 32-year-old athlete retiring, came this victory, which brings the athlete to the sixth win of his career.
After finishing the first run in sixth place, with a reasonable gap to the podium but one that was not easy to close, Massimiliano Blardone found the determination to attack, skiing a masterful second run.
The Italian athlete thus beats the Austrians and brings Italy to a total of 159 wins in the men’s World Cup, reaching the personal milestone of sixth place among Italy’s most successful athletes.
Massimiliano Blardone says he had positive feelings during the day, just like in 2009, when he last won in Val Badia. He also explains that in the first run he set out with the aim of limiting the gap to the leader, while in the second he set out to win.
The champion goes on to joke: “”I couldn’t put on a poor show, since I’m becoming a dad in April and my whole family is here in Badia with my girlfriend Simona”.
Massimiliano Blardone has reached the age of thirty-two and, after this success, many are wondering what his future and his career will hold. The athlete hopes to continue until 2018, but the first goal is 2014, after which his physical condition will be assessed.
On this subject he states: “Physically I’m fine and I haven’t lost the will to win yet. Now I’m more mature and I’ve become better at understanding what works and what doesn’t.”
So all those who had written Massimiliano Blardone off as “finished” after last year are forced to think again; as the athlete himself admits, there are times when every race comes easily and others when you just can’t get going. For Blardone, last year was an incentive to study his own mistakes and, consequently, a moment of growth ahead of this new season, which has got off to the best possible start.
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