Fanny Chmelar triumphed and won also the “Leo David” reward
The German athlete performed very well and gained on two French athletes: Marion Bertrand and Tessa Worley. The Italian Irene Curtone arrived as fourth.
The Italian athletes were unlucky in the night slalom in Gressoney. Denise Karbon skipped a gate at the beginning and lost the second round even if she got a third position in the first one. If Federica Brignone had had not skip the last gate before reaching the finishing line, she would have got the second place with 1.42.38.
The German Fanny Chmelar won with the time of 1.41.40, second place for the French Marion Bertrand with 1.42.76 and the third place to another French athlete, Tessa Worley, with 1.43.06. Thanks to the French bronze and silver medals, France won also the team race and Romania got the second position. The first Italian athlete was Irene Curtoni who got the fourth place with 1.44.02.
Fanny Chmelar received also the “Leo David” tag. Leo David was a great promise of the Italian sky in the 70s, born in Gressoney-Saint-Jean and dead in a serious accident occurred in the pre-Olympic race that took place in Lake Placid on 3rd March 1979. He fell near the finishing line and had a shock that caused him a coma. It made him die in 1985. The athlete overcame the Swedish Ingerman Stenmark and the American Phil Mahre in on 7th February 1979 in Oslo.
At end of the special slalom medal Ceremony, at the sport palace in Gressoney, Davide David, Leonardo’s father, remembered his son and gave the tag to the German athlete, who won the slalom podium and the third place in the giant slalom on Monday.
David said: “I would like to thank the Aosta Valley Region for the best Italian track that they have dedicated to Leonardo. I hope that the most important international competitions would be run off here”. Leonardo competed in the Italian Army sport team.