Goldweg began here

Emotional return for Stephanie Venier

Stephanie Venier

(Bild: GEPA)

Two years ago, the ÖSV ladies achieved a triple victory in Kvitfjell - Stephanie Venier began her second career with second place, which brought her the World Championship title.

She was never a great coach. Stephanie Venier is a real racing animal: fully involved when it really counts. So it's only logical that she's now super-G world champion. Full speed down the slopes without training - and it works! The 31-year-old Tyrolean also took it easy yesterday in Kvitfjell. 2.56 seconds behind in the first training run in the far north - 40th place.

Fond memories
Stephanie's racer's soul was literally rejoicing when the mountain in Kvitfjell, a good hour's drive north of Lillehammer, came into view. Because the "Olympiabakken", the men's downhill course of the 1994 Games, played a decisive role in Venier's career two years ago. It was there that the foundations were laid, so to speak, for the golden one in Saalbach. "Yes," nods the Tyrolean, "you could say that!"

"Was very down"
It was March 5, 2023 - and it looked like Sofia Goggia would win the super-G in Kvitfjell when Franziska Gritsch with bib number 26 used the better conditions to set a best time. She was beaten by Stephanie Venier with bib 29 and topped once again by Nina Ortlieb with 31. A triple victory that ended Venier's more than three-year break from the podium. And pulled her out of a deep career slump. "It's true, I was very down at the time," she agrees. Since then, things have gone uphill: two World Cup victories, three second places - and the gold medal in Saalbach. "Christian (friend Walder) also helped me a lot."

ÖSV triple victory in Kvitfjell: Stephanie Venier, Nina Ortlieb and Franziska Gritsch (from left to right)

(Bild: GEPA)

She is now (very) relaxed about the fact that Ortlieb snatched victory from her back then: "I got what I wanted to win at the World Championships!"