“Kitzbühel is the highlight of the year for us downhill skiers,” said Lauberhorn winner Vincent Kriechmayr, who won the Super-G in the Gamsstadt last year. This was linked to a separate Kriechmayr gondola on the Hahnenkamm cable car. Maybe that’s an extra boost of motivation for the two descents on Friday and Saturday on the Streif. Last year, the 30-year-old from Mühlviertel had “missed” both descents after the best time in the last training session (9th and 17th place) before celebrating a happy ending with the Super-G victory. “Kitzbühel is the descent that you want to win as an Austrian,” Kriechmayr has big plans for the next few days. The Gramastettner’s favorites are the usual suspects: Switzerland’s Beat Feuz, Italy’s all-time favorite Dominik Paris and his team-mate Matthias Mayer, behind whom Kriechmayr was second two years ago.
Nußdorfer Daniel Hemetsberger, who was able to surprise in tenth place last year, also has big plans. The 30-year-old will also play it safe away from the Streif and reduce his contacts so that he doesn’t catch a virus before the Olympics in Beijing. Hemetsberger: “Just my girlfriend and my parents. I don’t meet anyone else.”
Source: Nachrichten
