SSki racer Kira Weidle has achieved the long-awaited liberation at the downhill World Cup in Zauchensee. The 25-year-old from Starnberg was only beaten by world champion Lara Gut-Behrami from Switzerland on Saturday. “It was really fun. This is also the key to success for me. Finally back on the podium,” said Weidle, who finished second in a World Cup for the first time in her career.
Only a tenth of a second separated the downhill specialist from Gut-Behrami, who reported back impressively after her four-week Corona break. Third was Ramona Siebenhofer from Austria (+0.44). “The tenth annoys me a bit, but you can’t complain about second place. That means a lot to me at the moment,” said Weidle, looking at her bumpy start to the season. Tenth and seventh place in Lake Louise and 39th in Val d’Isere were “not the results I had hoped for,” she said.
Goggia lands in the safety net
“It’s one hundred percent a head issue,” Weidle said recently and sought professional help. A mental trainer should help you to deal better with your own expectations and with external pressure. The success in Zauchensee now proves her right. “I think it’s going in a good direction now, although that shouldn’t be overstated. At the end of the day, she has to be a good skier,” said women’s national coach Jürgen Graller.
On Saturday, Weidle also benefited from the elimination of the big favorite Sofia Goggia, who had been around four tenths in the lead in the meantime. The Italian and favorite to win the Olympic Games in Beijing, who had won all three downhill runs so far this season, crashed into the safety net after a driving error. She didn’t appear to have been seriously injured at first.
For the German Ski Association (DSV), Weidle’s second place was the best result so far this Olympic winter. However, the wait for the first women’s victory since Viktoria Rebensburg’s triumph in Garmisch-Partenkirchen in 2020 continues. This Sunday there is still a Super-G in Zauchensee on the program. Weidle is not one of the favorites here.
Kriechmayr wins thanks to pizza slices
A daring “pizza slice” helped ski racer Vincent Kriechmayr to his first World Cup success since March. What is meant in the ski scene is the V-shaped position of the skis, like the snow plow used by beginners – called “pizza slices” in the scene – with which the Austrian perfectly caught a curve at the Downhill World Cup in Wengen and raced to victory. The 30-year-old won on Saturday, 0.34 seconds ahead of Beat Feuz from Switzerland. Third was the Italian Dominik Paris (+0.44).
Kriechmayr’s start had caused quite a stir due to the special starting right granted to him by the World Federation Fis. The world champion had missed the downhill training as a result of a positive corona test. According to the regulations, however, participation in at least one training session is mandatory for the start in the downhill run. After receiving approval from a jury decision, Kriechmayr drove out of the starting gate on Friday morning. After a few meters he broke off the journey.
“It’s not at all about Vincent Kriechmayr, but about the regulations that are there so that everyone knows what they have to do,” said the Alpine Director of the Swiss Ski Association, Walter Reusser, ZDF. Second-placed Feuz congratulated him on Saturday with a wink: “Considering that you didn’t do any training, that was a very good ride.”
After their debacle the day before, the German speed men had to put up with the next setback and all missed out on the top 15. Dominik Schwaiger was the best DSV athlete in 17th place. Romed Baumann landed two positions behind. “I lacked 100 percent conviction. The further it went down, the more sluggish it became,” said Baumann about the longest descent on the World Cup calendar.
Simon Jocher and Josef Ferstl did not get past places 24 and 30. The World Cup runner-up Andreas Sander had already reacted to his form crisis before the race and decided not to start. On Sunday there is still a slalom on the program in Switzerland.
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