Beijing 2022: Sofia Goggia’s silver miracle

If they had told her 23 days ago, after that disastrous and painful fall in Cortina, which would have returned from Beijing with a second place downhill, Sofia Goggia he would put his signature on it. But a prodigious recovery and a test from Goggia had made us dream in the Olympic encore after the gold in Pyeongchang and perhaps, paradoxically, silver ends up having even a bitter aftertaste. But it is the aftertaste of a company, of a small sporting miraclethe one made by the athlete from Bergamo, the strongest in the world after a fracture to the fibula and an injury to the healed ligaments in record time.

1:32:03, Sofia’s final time, going down like a bullet, like her usual, fearless and putting fear. To the fans and opponents. With that skiing always at the limit, which seems to lose control at any moment, on treacherous snow perhaps a little less than in recent days, which tonight seems particularly congenial to the Italians. When she reaches the finish line, Sofia is ahead of her, and behind her are the newcomer to Five Circles Nadia Delago (1:32:44) and Elena Curtoni, the first to go down and remained the only one below 1:33 for a long time. (1:32:87).

At the blue corner they wave their arms wide: let’s close it here. Unfortunately we have to go on and still has to go down Corinne Suter, the reigning world champion, the winner of the last round of the Cup in Garmisch, the one in which Sofia was not there. 1:31:87, 16 cents better than blue, taken in the final part. An overtaking at the last corner after a fight shoulder to shoulder, which dulls for a moment the smile of Sofia, not that of Nadia Delago, who at 24, at her first Olympics and without ever a podium in the Cup, takes home his first medal, a splendid bronze, embraced by his sister Nicol Delago, who closes eleventh but is happy anyway. Elena Curtoni is fifth.

From Olimpia to Olympia, those Five Circles that just over three weeks ago seemed to be able to fade have once again been plated with metal, and never mind if this time it is not the most precious. Gold in Pyeongchang 2018, silver in Beijing 2022, with a view of Milan and Cortina 2026, when the years will be 33 and the showcase is likely to be even richer. She remains the queen of the descents, the only one able to get back on her feet after a frightening injury, a fall that took away the joy of carrying the Italian flag at the opening ceremony but not the chance to play for an Olympic medal. There will be another occasion, in four years, at home to march with the flag.

The words immediately after the award ceremony: “I am proud of this medal, was not at all obvious after the injury three weeks ago in Cortina. In the race I had good sensations, in the central part I think I got a bit of wind. Below I lost everything, the plans are not my forte, but I’m happy anyway. If in recent days they had told me that I would have made silver, I would have signed“.

Sofia believed in gold and perhaps she felt a little disappointed, but what she achieved is truly a sporting miracle. Nadia Delago could not be happier instead. “I dreamed of participating in the Olympics, winning a medal seemed a distant thing to me. I am very grateful and happy ». And the thought of her goes to her sister: «Having my first Olympics with her is incredible. We help each other, I am grateful to have come here with you ».

Other Vanity Fair stories that may interest you:

– Nicol and Nadia Delago, Olympic bond: “Sisters always (even in the race)”