{"id":2455715,"date":"2020-03-12T20:40:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-13T02:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/brignones-world-cup-title-inspires-in-virus-epicenter\/"},"modified":"2020-03-12T20:40:00","modified_gmt":"2020-03-13T02:40:00","slug":"federica-brignones-world-cup-title-inspires-italy-in-virus-epicenter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/federica-brignones-world-cup-title-inspires-italy-in-virus-epicenter\/","title":{"rendered":"Federica Brignone\u2019s World Cup title inspires Italy in virus epicenter"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.6872852233677\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-322574-931\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/Switzerland_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup_11143-5cf2a-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/Switzerland_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup_11143-5cf2a-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | AP | Italy's Federica Brignone celebrates winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup alpine combined, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. (AP Photo\/Alessandro Trovati)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"14\">\n<p><strong>Italy&#8217;s Federica Brignone celebrates winning an alpine ski, women&#8217;s World Cup alpine combined, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. (AP Photo\/Alessandro Trovati)<\/strong><br \/>AP | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/Switzerland_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup_11143-5cf2a-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Italy's Federica Brignone celebrates winning an alpine ski, women's World Cup alpine combined, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. (AP Photo\/Alessandro Trovati)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/Switzerland_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup_11143-5cf2a-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/Switzerland_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup_11143-5cf2a-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | AP | Italy's Federica Brignone competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup Super G, in La Thuile, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo\/Gabriele Facciotti)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"14\">\n<p><strong>Italy&#8217;s Federica Brignone competes in an alpine ski, women&#8217;s World Cup Super G, in La Thuile, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo\/Gabriele Facciotti)<\/strong><br \/>AP | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/Switzerland_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup_11143-5cf2a-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Italy's Federica Brignone competes in an alpine ski, women's World Cup Super G, in La Thuile, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo\/Gabriele Facciotti)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/Switzerland_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup_11143-5cf2a-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/Switzerland_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup_11143-5cf2a-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"AP | AP | Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde takes a jump as he speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 7, 2020. (AP Photo\/Gabriele Facciotti)\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"15\">\n<p><strong>Norway&#8217;s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde takes a jump as he speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men&#8217;s World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 7, 2020. (AP Photo\/Gabriele Facciotti)<\/strong><br \/>AP | AP<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/03\/Switzerland_Alpine_Skiing_World_Cup_11143-5cf2a-2-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde takes a jump as he speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup downhill, in Kvitfjell, Norway, Saturday, March 7, 2020. (AP Photo\/Gabriele Facciotti)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/brignones-world-cup-title-inspires-in-virus-epicenter\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/brignones-world-cup-title-inspires-in-virus-epicenter\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText DropCap\">ROME \u2014 Amid drastic restrictions on everyday life in Italy, Federica Brignone\u2019s overall World Cup skiing title provided a rare moment to rejoice for her fellow citizens.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Never mind the fact that Brignone clinched the coveted large crystal globe when the circuit was cut short due to the spread of the virus outbreak \u2014 preventing a possible comeback from American rival Mikaela Shiffrin.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI was able to win the battle in my sport. Together we\u2019ll beat this very difficult battle against the coronavirus,\u201d Brignone wrote in a letter to her fans Thursday, a day after the races in Are, Sweden, were canceled.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Italian Olympic Committee president Giovanni Malago tweeted, \u201cYour season deserved a different finale but the emotions you gave us this year can\u2019t be erased. Thanks to you we\u2019re on top of the world, and your title should be an inspiration for all of us!\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The Gazzetta dello Sport declared Brignone \u201cMiss World,\u201d in a front-page headline Thursday, while national daily La Repubblica labeled her \u201cThe first queen\u201d because she\u2019s the first Italian women\u2019s overall champion in the 53-year history of the World Cup.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">In Italy, the center of Europe\u2019s outbreak, new restrictions closed restaurants, cafes and retail shops after the prime minister imposed a nationwide lockdown on personal movement earlier in the week. Grocery stores, pharmacies and outdoor markets were among the few businesses allowed to operate.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">With Brignone\u2019s flight to Milan canceled, she was embarking on a circuitous route back to Italy: A drive from Are to the nearby airport in Ostersund, then flights from Ostersund to Stockholm, Stockholm to Munich and Munich to Geneva. From Geneva, she was hoping to find a way into Italy by car through the Mont Blanc tunnel \u2014 if it\u2019s still open. The tunnel connects France to her home region of Valle d\u2019Aosta.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Brignone\u2019s suitcase does not contain any crystal globes \u2014 even though she also won the giant slalom and combined titles this season \u2014 because the International Ski Federation did not have time to set up victory ceremonies before skiers darted home.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI really want to experience hearing the Italian anthem with the globe in my hand,\u201d Brignone wrote.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI\u2019m returning home and I know what awaits me and all Italians. I won\u2019t be able to continue my job. While my rivals will still train and ski, we Italians won\u2019t be able to,\u201d Brignone added, referring to the closure of all ski lifts in Italy. \u201cWe won\u2019t even be allowed to go to the gym. But I still feel fortunate, because I live in Valle d\u2019Aosta and from my window I can at least see snow and mountains. It will provide a good opportunity to clean up my house and find the right place to put the globes, when they arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Brignone was traveling with her younger brother, Davide, who is also her coach, and was looking forward to reuniting with her mother, Maria \u201cNinna\u201d Rosa Quario, a former racer who won four World Cup races from 1979-83.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It was a banner year for the Italian women, who won eight races \u2014 five of them by Brignone \u2014 and registered 23 podium results.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Still, Brignone\u2019s title was in part a result of Shiffrin\u2019s six-week break from the tour following the death of her father.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe only regret is not to have won it on the course and not to have raised the cup with my team, because they would have deserved that,\u201d Brignone said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Norwegian skier Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is also yet to be awarded for his first overall title.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kilde clinched his globe when the season-ending men\u2019s races in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, were canceled Thursday; the finals in Cortina d\u2019Ampezzo, Italy, were already wiped out last week by the International Ski Federation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">The cancellations meant that Henrik Kristoffersen, another Norwegian, became the season champion in both the giant slalom and slalom disciplines by tiny margins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kilde\u2019s runner-up finish in what proved to be the season-ending race \u2014 a downhill last Saturday in Kvitfjell, Norway \u2014 lifted him to the overall title, 52 points ahead of French rival Alexis Pinturault.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Kilde succeeds Austrian great Marcel Hirscher, who won eight straight overall titles before retiring in the offseason.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/sports\/brignones-world-cup-title-inspires-in-virus-epicenter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Italy&#8217;s Federica Brignone celebrates winning an alpine ski, women&#8217;s World Cup alpine combined, in Crans Montana, Switzerland, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. (AP Photo\/Alessandro Trovati)AP | AP Italy&#8217;s Federica Brignone competes in an alpine ski, women&#8217;s World Cup Super G, in La Thuile, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (AP Photo\/Gabriele Facciotti)AP | AP Norway&#8217;s Aleksander Aamodt [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2455715","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 10:54:18","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455715","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2455715"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2455715\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2455715"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2455715"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2455715"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}