Photo: BARBARA GINDL (APA)
Austria still has two chances to prevent the first World Ski Championships without a gold medal since Crans-Montana in 1987. The first, the women’s slalom on Saturday in Méribel (10 a.m. and 1.30 p.m., ORF 1 and live ticker on nachrichten.at), at least on paper, does not promise any red-white-red festivals.
It is much more likely that Mikaela Shiffrin, who can no longer take the small crystal ball in the World Cup discipline rating, will be crowned double world champion. Petra Vlhova (Svk), Wendy Holdener (Sui) or Lena Dürr (D) will also have to be on the list in the competition on the “Roc de Fer”, where only four ÖSV athletes will compete, although five starting places are available: Katharina Truppe (Killington’s usually in a good mood third), Franziska Gritsch, Katharina Huber and Katharina Liensberger, the defending champion who is far from her best form at the moment.
The 25-year-old from Vorarlberg has a sixth place in Flachau this season as a top result in the slalom. Now the cards are being reshuffled. “The clocks are on zero. I know that something is possible for me.”
Manuel Feller is also promising in the Courchevel slalom on Sunday (10 a.m. and 1.30 p.m., ORF 1 and live ticker on nachrichten.at). The circle of favorites is of course large, this World Cup winter there were three double winners in the races through the pole forest: Daniel Yule (Sui), Henrik Kristoffersen (Nor) and Lucas Braathen (Nor), who is celebrating a comeback a good two weeks after his appendix operation .
“I expect the most difficult slalom we will drive this season. Absolutely worthy of the World Cup,” said Feller, second from Val d’Isère and Garmisch: “It will be a brutal carnage, but we have a good plan. It it’s up to me.” Maybe there will be a grand finale like 2019 in Aare. Even then, the Austrian team had to wait until the last day of the competition for gold. Patience sometimes pays off, there was a brilliant triple victory. Marcel Hirscher triumphed in front of Michael Matt and Marco Schwarz.
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