Ski World Cup TICKER

Men’s slalom in Gurgl, LIVE from 10.30 am

Can Manuel Feller cheer again in Gurgl?

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Third race of the season in the men's Ski World Cup: Today the slalom in Gurgl is on the program. We will be reporting live (see below).

Here is the LIVETICKER:

Austria's men's skiers have not had a dream start to the World Cup season. After two podium-less races, the ÖSV team is reminiscing about last year's red-white-red ski party ahead of the home slalom in Gurgl on Sunday (10.30 am, 1.30 pm). Back then, Manuel Feller led a special ÖSV one-two-three at the Ötztal premiere ahead of Marco Schwarz and Michael Matt.

Feller was relaxed on his return to the place of success despite two failures in Sölden (RTL) and Levi (slalom). "They were two different disciplines. I was positively surprised in Sölden in terms of speed. And you can also mess up a slalom if you're in a good mood."

Because that's what he is, emphasized last year's shot put winner. Messages along the lines of "We'll stick by you, you'll be fine" amused him to some extent recently. "My form is great. Don't worry, it's definitely not a form crisis. I feel extremely comfortable on the slalom skis," said Feller.

The spirit of the triple victory
In Levi, the Austrians experienced a debacle with Adrian Pertl in 15th place as the best. "We have to, we should deliver. But there's no point in burying our heads in the sand just yet," said head coach Marko Pfeifer. "We'll continue to keep calm, and we won't let anything come up from the outside." Instead, he recalled the previous year. "We should take the spirit of the triple victory with us," said Pfeifer. "A podium would be a great thing."

Adrian Pertl

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

In glorious weather, Feller 2023 was in a class of his own, especially in the first run. He needed almost everything from his huge lead (1.16 seconds) over eventual runner-up Schwarz (who is still working on his comeback) in the final, as climate activists stormed the finish area just after the Carinthian, who was initially in fifth place ex aequo, set the fastest time.

Local hero as the victim
As visibility worsened, all those behind Feller were passed through - even half-time third Fabio Gstrein was one of the victims. A year later, the man from Ötztal remembers the "senseless action" from his point of view relatively unemotionally, although he was clearly preoccupied with "what if" questions after eighth place. If you finish on the podium, the season might turn out differently."

Although Gstrein finished in the top 10 in five of the ten slaloms this season, he chased his first career podium in vain until the end. He doesn't want to put himself under any particular pressure or stress. "Finish consistently in the top ten, that's far too little appreciated in Austria. The podium will come, Manu (Feller) also had to become 31 before he started winning," said the 27-year-old.

Hirscher against first doubts
Marcel Hirscher may have won 32 World Cup slaloms, but the returnee is not familiar with the Gurgl terrain. The Ötztal race could have a groundbreaking character. After Levi, the question arose as to whether 46th place was due to a material error or whether the 35-year-old had to fear for the competitiveness he had already shown in the giant slalom in the dense slalom field. Hirscher said he didn't want to make a "fool of himself" again, but his Gurgl start is fixed, as his media spokesman confirmed.

Marcel Hirscher

(Bild: GEPA/GEPA pictures)

Henrik Kristoffersen underlined the fact that Van Deer equipment basically works on Finnish ice with second place behind Frenchman Clement Noel. However, as the Norwegian revealed before Sölden, there is no excessive exchange between the now brand colleagues.

Kristoffersen is the overall World Cup leader. At the same time, the absolute liberating blow in the form of his first victory is still pending. He won his last World Cup race in Wengen in January 2023, after which he became Slalom World Champion in Courchevel. "Yes, I know, it's been so and so long since my last victory, blah blah blah," said the winner of 30 World Cup races in his usual pithy tone. "But if I were to end my career now, I've won so many races that it wouldn't be a bad thing."