Even before the first athlete catapulted himself out of the Kitzbühel start house, the 82nd Hahnenkamm race had served up the first surprise. Shortly before the first training, Austria’s former ski star Marcel Hirscher announced that he wanted to throw himself down the notorious descent as a forerunner. So he did. There were rumors about it last week. “The sporting appeal of conquering the Streif has always been on my list,” said the man from Salzburg. That went with the motto he gave last year when presenting his Van Deer ski brand: “I’m a skier. I’ve always been and always will be.”
“I’d like to grant him that”
Critical tones were also mixed with many expressions of respect. Asked about the eight-time overall World Cup winner, Mayer said: “I don’t look at the forerunners. If you really want to attract media interest, then of course you can do it that way.” Hirscher was taciturn after his appearance with the start number F5. He was forbidden to speak, he told the journalists in the finish area.
Double world champion Vincent Kriechmayr from Gramastetten reported on a little chat with the former industry leader. At the moment, he just has an insane joy in skiing. “He’s had so much pressure in his career, he’s been the savior of the nation so many times. If he’s happy to step on the gas now, then that’s to be granted.”
Hirscher has not always been granted this adrenaline rush in the recent past. During a trip last July to the “Red Bull Romaniacs”, a motorcycle rally in Romania, a fall ended in the hospital, and Hirscher tore the syndesmosis ligament. A little later it also became known that he and his wife Laura had separated after 13 years.
During his active time as a technology specialist, the winner of 67 World Cup races in Super-G and in the combination was “only” on the Streif-Alm. But for his premiere on the big track, the man from Salzburg, who has always worked meticulously throughout his career, once again left nothing to chance. In preparation for his emergency, Hirscher had already had a few training rides on the Streif in glorious weather. Hirscher is said to have been on the road up to 20 times in the upper part of the route. “I even heard twice that,” Mayer said.
Three more launches planned
Hirscher’s management confirmed that the two-time Olympic champion is now planning to exhaust all four options at the noble test location (today’s training and both departures on Friday and Sunday) as a precursor. Primarily to act as his own test pilot for his Van Deer skis. Hirscher wants to equip some runners in the World and European Cups with these in the coming season. The rumor mill has been churning for a long time. For example, Henrik Kristoffersen, an ex-competitor and friend, has a contract with Rossignol that expires after this season.
Just a few weeks ago, when asked about a possible comeback, Hirscher answered bluntly: “I can’t keep up the pace anymore. I can’t do it, and I don’t want to perform every day either.” Even if the stopwatch wasn’t running, at least not officially, Hirscher showed that racing driver’s blood still flows through his veins.
But even Hirscher has no remedy against the impending bad weather front. The jury decided yesterday to change the Kitzbühel program. The slalom is now planned for Saturday, the second descent is not scheduled to take place until Sunday afternoon (1.30 p.m.).
“I mean, I have the pig skull”
After the first downhill training in Kitzbühel, Vincent Kriechmayr once again had the laughs on his side. “I mean, I’ve got the pig skull. That’s what we say when we’re last,” explained the double world champion, who, after a completely messed up “ramble”, finished 49th, 5.23 seconds behind the fastest Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. The 30-year-old Gramastettner was not at the bottom after all, eight ski racers were behind him in the classification.
“I made a catastrophic mistake, but I also skied really badly,” analyzed Kriechmayr. “Wengen was on Saturday, but in a few days I drastically lowered the level again as far as my skiing quality is concerned,” said the Lauberhorn champion. Things went better for Daniel Hemetsberger from Nußdorf, he was ninth. “The Streif is icy, restless. It gets brutal to the point.”
The new lines in terms of increased safety were not well received by everyone. The organizers moved the approach to the local mountain to the right. This results in a wider radius, thanks to the rounder line, the pressure should be reduced and the speed at the target jump should be lower. Travis Ganong (USA) had a speed of 143.33 km/h there, compared to a top speed of 149.21 last year. This time, too, it was not possible to avoid a fall: Pepi Ferstl (D) got off lightly with bruises and a graze on his nose.
Source: Nachrichten
