Despite difficulties

“We are a force to be reckoned with!” ÖSV takes stock of Sölden

"I did my thing," says a satisfied Patrick Feuerstein.

(Bild: APA/EXPA/JOHANN GRODER)

The start of the Ski World Cup has been suboptimal for Austria's men's giant slalom team. Manuel Feller and Stefan Brennsteiner in particular were eliminated in the first run in Sölden on Sunday with good split times. Raphael Haaser was the best ÖSV racer in seventh place, Patrick Feurstein finished eighth in the final. Sports Director Mario Stecher drew a positive balance after the weekend: "I think we have a quick momentum again. We are a force to be reckoned with."

It was a perfect start to the season for Haaser, as he equaled his best placing in this discipline. "We worked a lot on giant slalom and technique in the summer," said the Tyrolean. "Giant slalom is the basic turn, if that works, everything else usually works too." After a long time without a brand logo on his helmet, Haaser has once again found a sponsor, which is a sports and vitality drink.

Feurstein could also be satisfied. "The last two years were no laughing matter," he said. After two seasons without a top 15 place, the Vorarlberg native had changed ski brands and joined Rossignol. The preparation went smoothly. "I was able to prepare in peace, which was brutally good for me. I did my thing," he reported. He showed what he could do in the first race. "And I don't think it's a one-off story, simply because skiing is stable."

But stability is still missing
Sunday was a bitter day for Brennsteiner. "I already knew beforehand that I was skiing well. I wanted confirmation today at the finish, not at the intermediate time," said the man from Salzburg, who struggled with his failure. "Unfortunately, I'm not quite as stable as I thought I was. Now it's time to keep working on it over the next month," he added. "My plan is to ride again next year."

Feller also made a good impression until his retirement. "Another start would have been very, very important and good to get back into the flow. But I'm taking the positives with me. The speed is there, although I didn't actually feel good at all and went in with a certain amount of uncertainty," said the Tyrolean. "It's my classic issue anyway, that I always want too much for the goal and simply have to and should give myself the space. The more I'm in trouble, the more I forget about that."

Mixed feelings remain
So the results are mixed. Over the entire weekend, the ÖSV as the organizer was pleased with the smooth running of the event and record attendance. 33,000 spectators came on Sunday in fantastic weather. In sporting terms, however, Julia Scheib's third place on Saturday overshadowed a lot. Only Haaser and Feurstein reached the second run in the men's event.

Nevertheless, ÖSV sports director Stecher only emphasized the positives in his analysis. "It was very, very satisfying for the Austrian ski team. We finally have a podium finish in the women's event again," he said and continued: "I think you can see that the Austrian skiers really can ski giant slalom again. There has been a real jolt through the team." Feller and Brennsteiner were eliminated "with sensational split times".

With two complete runs, Brennsteiner also stood up to the Norwegian triumvirate of winners Alexander Steen Olsen, Henrik Kristoffersen and Atle Lie McGrath, said Feurstein. "He will do the same in the future," he said with conviction. There is now more than a month until the next race in the basic discipline: on December 8th in Beaver Creek. "After that, it's going to be one race after another anyway," said Brennsteiner. It is not clear when Marco Schwarz - the best Austrian in giant slalom before his cruciate ligament rupture in December 2023 - will be able to return.