Olympic Games. Ricardo Brancal was 37th in the giant slalom, “a very good result for Portugal”
Portuguese skier Ricardo Brancal debuted this Sunday at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics with 37th place in the giant slalom event, 28.05 seconds behind the winner, Swiss Marco Odermatt.
In his first Olympic event, at the Ice River track, in Yangqiing, the 25-year-old from Covilha achieved the goal of improving Arthur Hanse’s 66th participation in Peyongchang2018 in the discipline.
In a race in which 40 of the 86 athletes did not finish, Ricardo Brancal was 46th in the first heat, with a time of 1.16.83, and was slower and more cautious in the second descent, postponed due to snowfall, which he did in 1.20 .57, adding up to 2.37.40 in the set of the two counts.
The world championship ski competition, the Swiss Marco Odermatt, who won the first and the champion of the Olympic championship was champion, the champion of the Olympic championship, Zan Math, the current world champion, the Frenchman who won bronze.
Ricardo Brancal, who before the match to consider a top 50 an excellent result, considering the competitive level, and ambitioned to surpass the place of Arthur Hanse, 38th in the slalom and 66th in the giant slalom in Peyongchang2018, Beijing that could have done even better, but stressed that it was “a very good result for Portugal”.
The athlete, born in Covilhã, who has competed with Portuguese colors since he was 13 years old, refers to a “very difficult track”, with more visibility conditions and very icy parts, which do not risk taking any more risks, to safeguard track exits and the arrival at the end.
“My goal was to finish. Physically I felt very good, safe, solid. I could have taken three or four seconds off each heat, but I run the risk of leaving [de pista] and in the Games what counts is seeing the flag in the result”, said Ricardo Brancal, at the end of the race, in statements to the Lusa agency.
The one who prefers the little lom, ski scheduled for Wednesday, said that, considering that the fair has another 37th place today, “maybe risk a little more” in the discipline in which he feels comfortable.
“I’ve never been so good physically, I did a good preparation. I have the conditions required to do a good race, now, it also takes a bit of luck and as I need to have a bit of luck on the day, because the slalom, at the slightest mistake, did not pay, stressed Ricardo Brancal, thanks to the Lusa agency .
The head of mission, Pedro Farromba, stressed that “never before has a Portuguese man achieved such a result”, noting that Vanina Oliveira, José Cabeça and Ricardo Brancal fulfilled the objective of the delegation of improving the classifications of previous editions, and said “ very satisfied” and with an obligation to keep a promise.
“Now, let’s enjoy this result before the slalom. Here to Ricardo that if he improved the classification of Portugal, I would shave my head with a blade… I’ll have to do the winter”, joked, in declarations to Lusa, Pedro Farromba, also from the Portuguese Sports Federation.
In Lillehammer1994, Georges Mendes crossed the finish line in 31st place in the slalom, in a competition involving 40 athletes, but Pedro Farromba highlighted today’s result by Ricardo Brancal and recalled that “the rules were different in that one”.
At the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, which take place between February 4th and 20th, in China, Portugal is also represented in alpine skiing by Vanina Oliveira, 43rd in the giant slalom and disqualified in the slalom, and by José Cabeça, who finished in 88 . th place in the 15 km classic style cross-country skiing.