Austria’s ski crossers continue to set the tone at the start of the World Cup winter. Mathias Graf won the second competition of the season in Val Thorens on Friday, following in the footsteps of Johannes Rohrweck, who won the first race at the same place on Thursday. For Graf, who had not been very successful in the alpine area in the past, it was only the second time he had competed in a Ski Cross World Cup competition.
“It’s just crazy. In High German I would say I can hardly believe it, in Vorarlberg I’m brutally exhausted,” said Graf. At his premiere the day before, he had already been able to show his place on the 1,300 meter long course in the French ski resort with eighth place. Now he kept his perspective in difficult conditions. “When I woke up in the morning and looked out, it was snowing and there was fog. Everyone thought the day was over, there was no race,” said the Vorarlberger.
patience required
After a start delay of around three hours, the competition was finally able to take place. “I thought to myself, I’m good in bad weather, that’ll do the trick,” said Graf. The feeling of being able to hear the Austrian national anthem at the award ceremony was just awesome. The 26-year-old celebrated a lights-to-flag victory, triumphing ahead of Frenchman Youri Duplessis Kergomard and Swiss Marc Bischofberger.
Daniel Traxler finished second in the “small final” when he returned to racing after a herniated disc, making him the second-best Austrian in sixth place. One day after his second World Cup success, Rohrweck from Upper Austria was already in the quarter-finals, this time he had to settle for 15th place. In the World Cup rankings, he lost the lead to Graf. “It feels great, but I don’t really care,” said Graf about the current number one position.
Katrin Ofner came sixth in the women’s race. A class of her own was the exceptional Swedish athlete Sandra Näslund, who with her 30th World Cup success is now the sole record holder in ski cross. There is no time to take a breather, the qualification for the Monday night race will take place in Arosa on Sunday. Before Christmas there will also be a double (December 21/22) in San Candido.
Rohrweck’s plan worked
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Source: Nachrichten
I am Pierce Boyd, a driven and ambitious professional working in the news industry. I have been writing for 24 Hours Worlds for over five years, specializing in sports section coverage. During my tenure at the publication, I have built an impressive portfolio of articles that has earned me a reputation as an experienced journalist and content creator.
