Start of the season in Sölden

Stecher: “We can have the self-confidence”

Austria's alpine skiing team is facing a challenging winter.

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Austria's alpine skiing team is facing a challenging winter. In the season with the highlight of the home World Championships in Saalbach, the attention will be high, but the pressure will not be low either. "It is extremely important to give our athletes and coaches calm, confidence and time to develop further," said ÖSV Sports Director Mario Stecher ahead of the alpine season opener in Sölden. "Keep calm, radiate calm, work in a structured way, then you can achieve a lot."

Overall, an upward trend was evident in the previous season. In contrast to the zero result in 2023/24, there were even two globes that the ÖSV bagged at the end of the season - and they were prestigious ones at that: Manuel Feller won the slalom classification and Cornelia Hütter took the downhill globe. The ÖSV armada won eleven races this season, even though two leading figures, Marco Schwarz and Nina Ortlieb, missed large parts of the season due to injury. In 2022/23 there were only seven victories, in 2021/22 eight.

Nina Ortlieb

(Bild: Stian Lysberg Solum)

However, the men's downhill was a "problem child", where only Vincent Kriechmayr managed a podium finish as runner-up in Kvitfjell. One victory was missing from the season's balance sheet, and even more obvious was a problem with young talent. Due to a lack of support and injuries tearing holes in the speed team, only four ÖSV starters made it out of the starting gate at the downhill classic in Wengen.

Giant slalom causes problems
However, the most obvious problem in the alpine team across all genders has been the giant slalom for years. "We didn't perform as well in the giant slalom as we were used to. You can't assume that it will change from one day to the next," says Stecher, assuming a similar picture to the last winter. He was brought in to question certain structures and build new ones, said the Sports Director six months after his appointment. "One key point is the connection between the ÖSV and the national ski associations."

Stecher let it be known that he also sees potential for improvement in the cooperation, in "pulling together", so that the association is fit for the future. There is enough potential in the junior sector. "It must be emphasized that the clubs, regional ski associations and focus schools are still working very well. Together, we are challenged to broaden this again and improve certain aspects. We are working on that."

Mario Stecher

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

According to Stecher, who most recently served as Nordic Director at the ÖSV for many years, it's not a lack of know-how here in Austria. "There are so many good Austrian coaches all over the world. Why shouldn't what is done in Austria be good enough to ultimately be successful? We should and can have the self-confidence."