Second medal is here

ÖSV girl celebrates World Championship silver medal in super-G

Leonie Zegg flew to super-G silver at the Junior World Championships in Tarvisio.

(Bild: GEPA)

Jubilation in the ÖSV team at the Junior World Championships in Tarvis! In the women's super-G, 20-year-old Leonie Zegg from Vorarlberg was only beaten by Jasmin Mathias and took the silver medal. Already the second precious metal for Austria - and the chances are good that there will be more on Saturday.

Leonie Zegg came fourth on Thursday, 26 hundredths of a second short of the bronze medal in the downhill, which was run as a sprint race. But instead of being annoyed that she didn't manage to win her first medal at a Junior World Championships, the 20-year-old from Lech was delighted that she was able to take part in the award ceremony for the top six. "And I still have one more race, maybe it will work out there," said "Zeggi", who is in a relationship with ski jumping hopeful Jonas Schuster, at the time

Course had to be shortened again
And she was proved right. Like the downhill, the super-G could not be run on the original course due to the rainfall of the previous days. "There was a chance to ski from the top of the slope," explained ÖSV Junior Director Harry Kirchmair, who saw the Swiss silver medal winner in the downhill, Jasmin Mathis, set a top time on the slope with number five, relegating Kitzbühel's Valentina Rings-Wanner, who was leading at the time, to second place by 0.65 seconds.
A time that neither Viktoria Bürgler from Salzburg (+0.92) nor Victoria Olivier from Vorarlberg (+0.73) could match. "Unfortunately, Vici got too sharp once in the upper section," Kirchmair analyzed. Top times for both of them in the final section, in which they were able to catch up significantly with Mathis, were not enough. Both missed the jump into the top 3.

Victoria Olivier finished ninth, but still has a chance in the combined with Leonie Raich.

(Bild: GEPA)

Bad crash just before the World Championships
This meant that the red-white-red hopes lay entirely with Zegg, who started with number 21. Nina Ortlieb's cousin had already impressed several times in the European Cup this season, coming eighth in the super-G in Zauchensee. However, her preparations for the World Championships were anything but optimal. After a bad crash at the EC Super-G in Bardoneccia, the head skier had to take a break and was only fit again for the World Championships.

Fulminant final section
At the first intermediate time, Zegg was only 0.19 seconds behind Mathis in fourth place, but lost 67 hundredths by the second time measurement. She slipped back to fifth place and the medal seemed to be slipping away from her once again. But Leonie produced a sensational run in the final section, making up 0.40 seconds and crossing the line in second place, 27 hundredths behind Mathis and 0.02 seconds ahead of Sara Thaler (It). Silver!

Leonie Zegg had reason to be happy.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

There could be even more medals in the combined
As the super-G is also counted towards the team combined, in which Zegg will be competing with Tyrolean slalom skier Maja Waroschitz, she even has the chance of a second medal on Saturday afternoon. Olivier, who is competing in the combined with Leonie Raich, and Bürgler (with Natalie Falch) are also still within reach of the medals.