2023-11-12 17:02:01
Lena Dürr sets two exclamation marks in her first races of the winter and continues to establish herself among the world’s best in slalom. The weather is once again a disaster for the men on the Matterhorn.
Levi/Zermatt-Cervinia.
Lena Dürr left Levi very satisfied, while the German men’s team left the Matterhorn without having achieved anything.
While the 32-year-old made a dream start to the alpine ski season in Finland with two podium places, her colleagues’ World Cups once again fell victim to the weather. After the giant slalom in Sölden was canceled two weeks ago due to wind, the two downhill runs from Zermatt in Switzerland to Cervinia in Italy could not be held due to the onset of winter.
Vlhova first wins and then makes a mistake
It was a “perfect start,” said Dürr after her third place in Levi on Sunday. The day before she had already come second behind the Slovakian Olympic champion Petra Vlhova. In the second race, the athlete from SV Germering benefited from the fact that Vlhova, who was in the lead, merged and dropped out. Dürr moved up one place from fourth place after the first round – and onto a World Cup podium for the tenth time in her career.
Dürr explained that she was “super happy” with this weekend. She had already managed well in Levi in previous years, coming third and fourth twice each. Now the World Cup bronze medalist confirmed her strong form over the past two winters and raised hopes for another successful season.
Boost for next stop in Killington
Dürr’s teammate Emma Aicher finished 23rd in the 89th World Cup victory of the exceptional US athlete Mikaela Shiffrin on Sunday. Although she was happy about the points, she could still “improve a little bit in terms of skiing,” she explained.
The slalom queen among German ski racers is and remains Dürr from Munich. The successful start should give her a boost for the next slalom in Killington (USA) at the end of November. Dürr said she will now go home and then train nearby. First of all, she wanted to “enjoy” the day.
Weather is fatal for men on the Matterhorn
Meanwhile, the German ski men had significantly less fun. After it was canceled last year due to a lack of snow, this time there was too much snow at the planned premiere of the new Matterhorn runs – and also violent squalls. Apart from a training session on Wednesday, former Kitzbühel champion Thomas Dreßen and his speed colleagues did not have another run on the “Gran Becca” piste.
None of the three men’s races planned so far this winter were included in the rankings. The event in particular at an altitude of more than 3,000 meters in the shadow of the world-famous Matterhorn should be a new highlight in the Alpine competition calendar. The women’s descents are planned there for the coming weekend. It is questionable whether they can take place.
But it has no influence on Lena Dürr’s mood anyway. The technology specialist concentrates on her flagship discipline, slalom. And now she’s running really fast again. (dpa)
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