Long period of suffering
Hirschbühl: “Wouldn’t want to finish 30th!”
Christian Hirschbühl will have bad memories of January 16, 2022. In the Lauberhorn slalom in Wengen, the then 31-year-old took a wild-looking fall and was diagnosed with a broken ankle the same day. 1036 days have passed since then, and on Sunday the Vorarlberg native will be back in the starting gate for his comeback race in Levi. For Hirschbühl, one thing is clear: he doesn't just want to be there.
"I'm not aiming for 30th place. I want to get back to the level I was at. I'm getting closer and closer to that, I can feel it," said Hirschbühl before his return to the World Cup. His greatest success to date was winning the parallel race in Lech-Zürs in November 2021 - two months before the momentous mishap. The injury turned out to be complicated, and his shin and tendons were also badly affected. Skiing was painful.
But the effort paid off. His return to the slopes had actually been planned for March. However, the slalom in Kranjska Gora was canceled and Manuel Feller won the small crystal globe. Now the time has come in Finland. The pain is a thing of the past. "It feels like an eternity. But I've always told myself I'd rather have the 1,000 days than not at all. There were times when I doubted a lot, but for a good six months now I've felt that I could do it again and lo and behold, I'm ready," said Hirschbühl.
"I don't need to hide"
The routine of sightseeing is still there. The tingling sensation before the race should also set in. "I've been waiting a long time for this moment. Enjoying it is one thing, but I can't enjoy it like this. I just want to ride the race," explained Hirschbühl. In training, he was with his team-mates and the start made sense. "I don't need to hide."
Hirschbühl finished eighth in Levi in 2018 and also finished in the top ten in 2019 in seventh place. So the memories are good. But the 34-year-old also knows that it's always close in Lapland. "It needs a really good run from me."
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