Bansko can be the men’s crystal globe decider!
The Giant slalom and the slalom in Bansko may be the two most important races in the battle for the men’s World Cup this year!
Both main contenders for the trophy – the last season’s champion Ivica Kostelic and the Austrian Marcel Hirscher are in a direct battle for the first place in the slalom. The race on the “Alberto Tomba” slope on February 19 is the ninth of eleven for the season. Before the Bansko start the point gap between the two is 135, making the Croat a clear favorite. But unlike Kostelic, Hirscher is running second in the giant slalom and if he manages to haul a solid amount of points this weekend – the leader in the overall standing might change. After Bansko has only two more slalom races – in Kranska gora and the finals in Schladming. A solid finish of Ivica will bring him at least this little World Cup season. Not coincidentally, in his TV message to the Bulgarian fans Ivica pulled the string of the Balkan solidarity: “Come to Bansko to support me!”
The battle for the Small Crystal Globe in the Giant slalom is heat up. There are just 15 marginal points separating the super favorite Ted Ligeti from Hircsher. For the giant specialists Bansko would not be as deciding as for the slalomists, because there are three more races (Bansko is the sixth of nine) – Crans-Montana, Kranska gora and Schladming and opportunities for changing places is greater. Therefore, the main attraction of this exciting weekend in Bansko remains the battle between Kostelic and Hirscher, which is able to outshine even the names of other exceptional skiers who will be seen once again on home soil!
