Alpine World Cup in Austria: Doubts about Ski World Cup? DSV team conjures up the spirit of Cortina

The Zwölferkogel in the Austrian Alps could hardly shine in the sun. When the ski World Cup begins on the slopes of the 1,984 meter high mountain, then the German athletes also hope to get some shine in a season that has so far been more cloudy. “If you look at it realistically, we are nowhere among the medal favorites,” said Alpin boss Wolfgang Maier before the season highlight in Saalbach-Hinterglemm. “But as you know, dead people live longer.”

Despite some failures and a podium balance that has so far been very poor in the World Cup, two precious metal. Maier does not want to move away from this goal – which the German Ski Association (DSV) traditionally spends at every major event. “I assume that the coaches and the athletes are aware of the situation what we have for a starting situation, but also see their chance in the starting situation,” he said. “That must be the spirit of this team.”

Saalbach-Hinterglemm like Cortina d’Ampezzo?

And maybe the German athletes and athletes are still inspired by something very special: the spirit of Cortina d’Ampezzo. At the 2021 World Cup, the German team – just like four years later – had traveled with measly three podium places. In the bright sunshine of the Dolomites, four medals jumped out completely surprisingly.

“At that time we had a similar starting situation,” recalled Maier. “We were nowhere a medal candidate, especially not a mandatory medal candidate. We are not this time. But what we had done was that we could somehow swear the team.”

DSV hopes for an early coup for the pressure to succeed

There were three silver medals in Cortina at the speed events, including by Kira Weidle on the departure. The 28-year-old, who is now called Weidle-Winkelmann, sees himself in an “attack position”, as she said. It is “certainly not a favorite for the World Cup”, after recently encouraging races “I think that I can mix in the front”. On Tuesday, the first departure training (11 a.m.) is coming up for you.

An athlete from Starnberg coup in the first week of racing would put a lot of pressure on the twelve DSV contingent. If this does not succeed, then a banges are threatened until the final weekend when Lena Dürr and Linus Straßer are the only German medals with favorites.

German success at the team parallel event at the start?

Dürr celebrated a second and two third ranks in the World Cup this winter – other DSV podium placements are not to be seen. For the first time since 2006, a German team traveled to a major event without having won a race in the World Cup winter beforehand. Back then – at the Olympic Games in Turin – there was also no medal to cheer.

However, no team parallel event took place 19 years ago-and in the goal run with two men and two women, the Germans showed their class again and again in the recent past: 2022 Holt Dürr, Straßer and Co. Olympic silver, A year earlier in Cortina World Cup bronze.

Straßer and drought lead parallel contingent

The fact that Just Alexander Schmid, a parallel specialist and world champion of 2023, is missing due to a cruciate ligament tear, hurts very much. Without the Allgäuer, Fabian Gratz and Fabiana Dorigo are also intended as a starter on Tuesday (3:15 p.m./ARD and Eurosport). Emma Aicher – who broke her hand in November, as has now become known – and Anton Grammel complete the six -man team.

And who knows: Maybe next to the athletes, the spirit of Cortina waves through the slalom poles on Zwölferkogel.