Resignations as an opportunity

“Don’t believe it until Graf doesn’t come around the corner”

Vorarlberg's hopefuls for the 2027 home World Championships: Simon Fleisch, Nicolas Lussnig and Claudio Andreatta (from left).

(Bild: Peter Weihs/Kronenzeitung)

The red-white-red ski cross team has been decimated by numerous retirements in recent weeks. With Mathias Graf, Robert Winkler and Daniel Traxler, three World Cup athletes have put their skis in the cellar. This frees up starting places, which three Ländle youngsters also want to fight for.

"I'll only really believe it if he doesn't turn the corner at the World Cup opener in Val Thorens after all," jokes Nici Lussnig when asked about the retirement of Ländle parade skicrosser Mathas Graf. But the Dornbirn native's career is over, he is currently completing an internship at cable car world market leader Doppelmayr and feels right at home at the traditional Wolfurt-based company.

"Mathias' departure is a shame, as he was right at the front and was a good yardstick for us," adds Lussnig and his two Vorarlberg ÖSV B squad colleagues Claudio Andreatta and Simon Fleisch nod in agreement.

Mathias Graf (2nd from left), Nicolas Lussnig (left), Claudio Andreatta (2nd from right) and Sonja Gigler (right) switched from alpine skiing to ski cross ahead of the 2021/22 season

(Bild: Maurice Shourot)

Resignations as an opportunity
However, this opens up new opportunities for the trio, who have so far mainly competed in the European Cup. "As Daniel Traxler and Robert Winkler have also retired, we are competing with Moritz Opetnik and Christoph Danksagmüller for a total of three free World Cup tickets," reveals Andreatta, who, like Lussnig, is currently still looking for a head sponsor and worked for a timber construction company for several weeks in the summer to build up financial reserves for the winter. "First of all, it's about the December races. However, we don't yet know whether the selection will be based on a coach's decision or whether there will be a qualifying race."

The only one of the three Ländle crossers - who all have the 2027 home World Championships as their big goal - who has a head sponsor is Fleisch. "I'm very grateful to Montafon for that," admits the 23-year-old, who is also an army athlete until January. It remains to be seen what will happen next.

Hoping for justice
One possibility that all three are hoping for is the justice system. Similar to the army, police or finance, there will be a top-class sports program from spring 2025. "That is of course a very interesting possibility," the trio agree. "We will definitely sign up for it."