0.04 seconds missing

A hundredth of a second drama costs ÖSV lady her World Cup ticket

Magdalena Egger(Bild: GEPA pictures)

How bitter is that? Magdalena Egger from Vorarlberg missed out on her first victory in the downhill at the European Cup final in Kvitfjell, Norway, by just 0.04 seconds. Four hundredths, which also cost the 23-year-old a permanent ticket for the 2024/25 World Cup season.

"I still have reserves, but so will the others," Magdalena Egger remained cautious before the race - despite setting the fastest time in both training sessions. And the two-time junior downhill world champion also proved in the race that she feels right at home on the long poles. Starting at number nine, "Mäggy" once again produced a strong run, improving from sector to sector and crossing the finish line with the fastest time, 0.30 seconds ahead of the Italian Sara Thaler, who had been leading up to that point. As a result, Egger climbed to third place in the discipline rankings - which would mean a permanent World Cup ticket for the coming season. 

Nadia Delago celebrated Olympic downhill bronze in Beijing. On Thursday, she won the European Cup downhill in Kvitfjell.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer / Kronenzeitung)

Bitter hundredths decision
Nothing changed for the time being when South Tyrol's Nadia Delago, Olympic bronze medal winner in Beijing 2022, managed to catch Egger at the finish by a paltry four hundredths of a second. Everything now depended on France's Karen Clement, who had a 49-point lead before the race. In order to retain her top three place, Clement was not allowed to finish higher than ninth - and at the last intermediate time it actually looked as if she would not be able to withstand the pressure, as she was only in 10th place. However, with the fourth-fastest time in the final section, she worked her way up to sixth place, pushing Egger out of third place by just nine points and thus also snatching her fixed World Cup ticket.

Emily Schöfp wins the downhill classification and still has a chance of winning the EC overall.(Bild: Ski Austria)

Chance of overall victory still alive
Emily Schöpf from Tschagguns, who had already been confirmed as the discipline winner before the race, finished eighth in Kvitfjell after making mistakes in the top and bottom sections and is therefore only six points behind Clement in the overall EC standings ahead of the final super-G on Friday. Switzerland's Janine Schmitt is lurking in first place, 20 points off first place. Egger still has a mathematical chance after her second place in the downhill - but she is already 80 points behind Karen Clement.