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The 23-year-old from Vorarlberg was just 0.05 seconds behind the winner Vlhova in the second race and was already facing the top two riders Vlhova and Shiffrin in the first race. Liensberger proved in both rounds after a cautious start, especially in the bottom half, that he can certainly compete for victory again this season.
The last victory for an ÖSV rider in the women’s slalom was six years ago or 51 races. On November 30, 2014, Nicole Hosp won the entry race at Aspen. The next opportunity to end this dry spell will be on Sunday, when the second double slalom competition will take place on the illuminated Levi track starting at 10.15am (live on ORF1 and direct).
“I wanted to show that I can drive with my heart”
“I just wanted to show that I can ski well and that I can ski with my heart,” Liensberger said, summing up his performance. “On the flat section, I noticed during training that I had to get the most of my speed with low speed. I hope tomorrow is even better. I just took risks on the steep slopes and came out on the curves. I managed very well. You just have to take the risk and get the most out of it. “
Junior world champion gives test of talent
ÖSV’s talented Magdalena Egger did well on Levi too. The three-time 19-year-old junior world champion in downhill, super-G and combination showed a committed drive and finally came in 19th place (+3.14). With the starting number 61, he had advanced to 21st in the first race.
“I handled the top part well, but not the steepest part. It has to improve. I was not nervous and I had already taken a lot of confidence since qualifying, ”said the Vorarlberg woman in an interview with ORF, analyzing her successful appearance in what was only her third World Cup race. Egger was also confident in Sunday’s second race: “The track is in very good condition, so tomorrow I can start the race completely again.”
Austrians leading
Chiara Mair made the decision as 16 of the first round and set a provisional best time. In the end, this performance earned him eighth place (+2.04 seconds). The 24-year-old Tyrolean was delighted with her performance: “I’ve always had problems here because I haven’t had good experiences with Levi. That’s why the first race was a success for me and especially the second. “
Katharina Huber (10./+2.25 sec.) Was also unable to push her compatriot out of the lead, but managed a place in the top ten. Katharina Truppe got ahead of Mair, who trapped Mair by 0.27 seconds and one place and finished seventh, 1.77 seconds behind the winner Vlhova. “After sleeping through the first round, the second was much more active. I’m quite happy with the result, ”said Truppe. “Tomorrow it should work right away, then maybe something better will come up. I can still get something off the finish line.”
Bernadette Schild did not reach the second race as 35 (+2.59) from the first race, Katharina Gallhuber and Franziska Gritsch, both eliminated. Gritsch was getting his threader right and at No. 18 he was just 0.02 seconds behind on the way to a top position in the second half.
Vlhova is still not satisfied
Despite her victory, winner Petra Vlhova also saw room for improvement after her 15th World Cup win: “The second race was a bit more difficult, I was under pressure as the last runner. It wasn’t a perfect race, I made some mistakes. “
For second-placed Shiffrin, the participation was already the first victory after a 300-day break at the World Cup. It was the first World Cup race since January, following the sudden death of his father and the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, he had taken a long break. “It’s fun again. I really wanted to be there again, ”said the American.
