After a tough few weeks

Angie Salzgeber back on the podium

Angelina Salzgeber came back with two second places.

(Bild: Birbaumer Christof)

Last fall, Angelina Salzgeber's sporting world still looked very promising. Her preparations went well and the young athlete from Vorarlberg wanted to take the next step in the new season. But things turned out differently after a fall.

"The relief is simply huge," said a beaming Angelina Salzgeber in Rauris. The reason: in two FIS giant slalom races with a strong international field, the 20-year-old finished in second place. In the first race she was beaten by 0.19 seconds by Tyrolean Amelie Gstrein, but in the second race she missed out on victory against Rebeka Jancova (Slovakia) by just 25 hundredths after leading at half-time. With 26.89 and 27.55 points respectively, the Bartholomäberg native also scored by far her best FIS points in the giant slalom.

The head skier was also relieved because her season took a painful turn on November 25 after promising preparations in the summer and fall. "I hit my coccyx during training," Angie recalls. "I hadn't broken anything and continued to race at first, but the pain was brutal." And the results were not what she had hoped for.

That's why she decided to take a break. "I didn't race from December 7 to January 9," reveals the Montafon native, who slowly worked her way back up and was finally able to show what she's made of in Rauris. "Thanks to these points, I will also have a better starting number again at the next EC giant slalom in Norway," says Salzgeber, who was also able to celebrate with Marie Therese Haller from Kleinwalsertal on Sunday. After dropping out of the first race, she finished fourth in the second RTL.