Days of decision

ÖSV lady admits: “I would probably have left it at that”

Lisi Kappaurer finished 18th in Åre - a very important result for the 29-year-old.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

With the third-best time in the second giant slalom run in Åre, Elisabeth Kappaurer improved to 18th place on Saturday and climbed to 28th place in the overall standings. An extremely important leap forward - without which the Vorarlberg native would probably have ended her career.

"Sometimes it's just about not giving up. Right to the end," Elisabeth Kappaurer wrote on her Instagram account on Sunday after finishing 18th in the World Cup giant slalom in Åre, Sweden, the day before. Although the 29-year-old from Bezau missed out on making it to the World Cup final of the top 25 in Saalbach, she was still able to take a deep breath as 28th in the "Giant" rankings.

Pressure from the top
The background: after a season with many ups and downs, Kappaurer was only ranked 32nd in the RTL rankings before the race in Åre. However, in order to have a place in an ÖSV squad in the 2024/25 season, a top 30 ranking was required. "We were under pressure from the very top," reveals "Lisi". "But as a competitive athlete, I'm used to getting pressure and luckily I didn't think much about it."

Elisabeth Kappaurer (l.) appreciates working with ÖSV women's boss Roland Assinger.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

With success! In 24th place, she easily qualified for the decision, where she skied freely and was able to improve to 18th place with the third-best run time. "It seems as if I only have the confidence to show my best skiing in the second runs this winter," analyzes the Head skier, who started the season well in Sölden in 18th place and achieved her best result of the winter in Mont Tremblant in 14th place.

Crucial point in Val d'Isère
"Things went really well until the crash in the super-G in Val d'Isère," says Lisi, who broke her ulna in France and suffered a slight concussion. "After that, I lost a bit of my confidence. If you're not 100 percent fit, it doesn't take much for things to go wrong." She missed out on qualifying for round two three times, in Soldeu she dropped out of the final, and Kappaurer only managed to score in Kronplatz.

No chance without the support of the federation
What would have happened if she had missed out on the top 30 in Åre and lost her squad status for the next season? "Then I would probably have given up and ended my career," admits Lisi. "I just saw it again this year: Without the support of the federation, you almost don't make it." So it's good that she didn't give up. Right to the end.