Suboptimal weather

Weather spoilsport: Kvitfjell training canceled

No training in Kvitfjell ...

(Bild: GEPA)

The downhill skiers have to make do with just one training session in Kvitfjell! The dress rehearsal for the World Cup speed triple was canceled on Thursday due to wind and temperatures in the double-digit range. The races for a "bullet win" will take place without Austrian participation, the big goal at the last speed weekend before the World Cup final in Sun Valley is still a one-day victory.

The Austrians are now winless in 35 races in the World Cup. World Championship medal winners Vincent Kriechmayr and Raphael Haaser are expected to end their misery before the end of the season. "Of course, the goal is to win one more race. But that's so easy to say," Kriechmayr explained on Thursday. The competition is big and strong - and not just from Switzerland. "Dominik Paris will be one of the top favorites down there."

Kriechmayr likes Kvitfjell
And yet it was Kriechmayr who scored big in Kvitfjell with a victory in the super-G and second place in the downhill 2024. "Last year went quite well, but it doesn't matter what happened. I'm certainly not quite in the form I was in last year," says the downhill runner-up, relying on familiar understatement. Once again, a salt slope is expected, with temperatures not dropping until after the weekend. "Keep the momentum short, narrow line, a lot in position" is what Kriechmayr says is required.

Haaser's chances in the downhill are diminished due to a high starting number, with the super-G taking priority anyway. Since returning from injury, the Tyrolean has finished second (Kitzbühel), second (Saalbach World Championships) and fourth (Crans Montana). When asked about his first World Cup victory, Haaser said with the confidence of a giant slalom world champion: "Why not? It's still on the list and the sooner it happens, the happier I am."

Feurstein's debut
Stefan Eichberger wants more after seventh place in Crans Montana. "It could suit me, Kvitfjell suits me, I like being up here," said the Styrian hoping for a low start number. While Marco Schwarz skipped the trip to Norway, Lukas Feurstein will be making his downhill debut this year after all, as he knows the "Olympiabakken" piste from last year's training sessions and the European Cup. "But I'm not expecting anything too miraculous. I'm not that much of a glider yet."

On Friday (Garmisch supplement) and Saturday there is a downhill and on Sunday a super-G (all 10.30 am) on the program. In the only training session on Wednesday, no Austrian finished in the top field. The Slovenian Miha Hrobat was the fastest, Mattia Casse suffered a broken elbow in a heavy fall and thus deprived himself of his (theoretical) chance at the globes.

Crystal globes in the attic
The Italian was Marco Odermatt's only remaining rival in the super-G, Kriechmayr is already 205 points behind in third place. In the downhill classification, it's Switzerland before Switzerland before Switzerland: Odermatt (445 points) is in a duel with his young team colleague Franjo von Allmen (372), Alexis Monney is already 185 points behind. Only in Kitzbühel have the Swiss not achieved a double victory in six races.

With super-G, downhill, giant slalom and overall World Cup, Odermatt could extend his proud crystal collection from nine globes to 13 this year. "They're all in a cupboard at my parents' house and a few are even in the attic, because there wasn't room for them all," said Odermatt. If not in the overall World Cup, he is still preparing for a hot finish in two disciplines. "The downhill and giant slalom globes in particular are very hard-fought. Franjo and Henrik (Kristoffersen, ed.) have already come very close to me."