In the World Cup there hasn’t been anyone who can hold a candle to him for years, but snowboard crosser Alessandro “Izzy” Hämmerle has never really managed to do it at the Olympics. In 2014 he struggled with material problems in Sochi, in 2018 in Pyeongchang with bad luck from the race. But the third time finally brought success. But how. The 28-year-old from Montafon won gold. And that in a heartbeat finale.
The Canadian Eliot Grondin, as the quickest in the prelims and lightning starter, went into the final and promptly took the lead at the beginning of the race. Hämmerle, beaten by Grondin in the semifinals, stayed on the Canadian’s heels and took the lead in one of the first corners on the inside lane, which he didn’t relinquish until the finish line. However, it was only the photo finish that brought clarity about the winner. Italy’s Omar Visintin took bronze.
“It was brutal. I see the two hundredths, feel like an Olympic champion, and suddenly it’s photo finish. I never gave a damn. I look at the screen and see that it’s closer than I like,” said Hämmerle the anxious seconds in the finish area. But this time everything should go well. The finish photo clearly saw him as the winner.
As a snowboard pro, Hämmerle was born at Christmas when his brother gave him his first board. As a child (grew up in Switzerland until eight) he “never dreamed of the Olympics”, “backcountry stories” in the freestyle area were more his thing. But Alessandro grew up. “1.90 meters tall is not ideal for a sport where the average is 1.75.” However, the combination of Hämmerle and snowboard cross works well. This is proven by 14 World Cup and three overall victories (2019-2021), a runner-up world championship title (2021) and of course now Olympic gold most of all.
He wanted to put on a show for the people in front of the TV screens. “It’s a casual situation that other people see our sport who aren’t usually there. Maybe we can win some for World Cups so that they tune in again.”
Bitter fourth place for Lüftner
One person’s joy, the other’s sorrow: Hämmerle’s teammate Julian Lüftner, second fastest in qualifying, finished fourth in yesterday’s final empty handed. But Hämmerle said at the medal ceremony: “At the moment I’m sure that I will drive.”
Source: Nachrichten
