Crans Montana:

Eichberger & Hemetsberger at the front on the World Championship course

Stefan Eichberger

(Bild: GEPA)

The ski elite in the men's downhill has switched from one World Cup course to the next, after the title fights in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, the race will take place this weekend in Crans-Montana. The first World Cup stop in the final third of the season is considered a test for the 2027 World Championships at the same venue, with an initial run-through taking place on Thursday. Switzerland's Stefan Rogentin was the fastest in training, with the ÖSV duo of Stefan Eichberger and Daniel Hemetsberger in second (+0.23 seconds) and fourth (+0.51).

A best time of 2:00.27 minutes requires a lot of stamina and endurance, as Hemetsberger also recognized. "It will get a bit faster, but it's a long course with a lot of terrain. It's really easy to ride." Due to the many waves and relatively warm temperatures, the sightseeing was already very intense. "You can't see the next gate and you shouldn't be too sure of yourself." The early start times for the downhill on Saturday (10 a.m.) and the super-G on Sunday (10.30 a.m.) are "pretty tough for a downhill skier".

Daniel Hemetsberger

(Bild: GEPA)

Eichberger recognized similarities with Val Gardena/Gröden, where he achieved his best World Cup result to date in sixth place in December and ultimately also secured his World Championship ticket. Things didn't quite go to plan for the Styrian in Saalbach, but he didn't want to talk about World Cup frustration. "I didn't quite get it down in the race. But moping around in my first World Cup season would be absolutely the wrong thing to do". His focus is now on Crans-Montana anyway: "The downhill could suit me." Only he and Hemetsberger have made it into the top 20 from the ÖSV in the first run.

"Certainly a spectacular World Championships"
Vincent Kriechmayr settled for 47th place (+2.20) with a new haircut. "It wasn't so easy with the light because there's a lot of terrain inside. It has a completely different character to Saalbach-Hinterglemm - much longer turns, a bit less speed, the terrain is a bit flatter," said the runner-up World Champion. "At race speed, it can definitely be exciting. They will certainly conjure up a spectacular World Championship." Kriechmayr left it open as to whether he will be there in two years' time. "I'm looking from race to race, from season to season."

The third best Austrian in 24th place (+1.31) was Otmar Striedinger, the Carinthian had to digest missing out on a World Championship appearance. "It was a low point for me, the disappointment was huge. I tried to clear my head." However, he can deal with such situations, as he experienced something similar at the 2022 Olympics. Now he wants to give his answer on the slopes. "I actually like the course, the topography could suit me well." The 33-year-old remembered the course a little from the 2011 Junior World Championships, when he won downhill bronze.

The Swiss world champions Franjo von Allmen (26th/+1.36) and Marco Odermatt (36th/+1.69) took it easy. Of the remaining Austrians, Stefan Babinsky finished 29th (+1.47), Christopher Neumayer 34th (+1.66), Stefan Rieser 41st (+1.80), Raphael Haaser 57th (+4.06) and Lukas Feurstein 58th (+4.22). Giant slalom world champion Haaser spoke of a "slightly faster inspection run. To know what the terrain is like, to memorize everything." The Tyrolean also wants to focus on the downhill and become a 500-point racer. He currently has 144 points.