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Manuel Feller also led Austria’s strong men’s slalom team in the second slalom of the season. The 26-year-old took second place in Alta Badia on Tuesday night at Madonna di Campiglio, followed by fourth place, just two hundredths of a second. “I can push and I’m not as much of a risk of failure. This is how skiing is fun!” The satisfied Tyrolean summed up. Despite his back problems, he doesn’t want to ignore the giant slalom in the future.
The narrow podium deficit behind Norwegian victor Henrik Kristoffersen, who claimed the 18th slalom victory 0.33 seconds ahead of compatriot Sebastian Foss-Solevaag, only affected Feller briefly. “The second round was very difficult, I could have retired, I was close once or twice,” said the 2017 world runner-up. Now he is looking forward to the Christmas holidays, which will also be good for his body, said Feller.
Although he has been suffering from spinal disc problems for about two years, Feller wants to continue to do the most physically demanding giant slalom races. It has not yet been determined whether he will drive both RTLs at Adelboden before the January 10 slalom, emphasized the tech specialist, who has so far achieved a World Cup podium in the “Giant” (2nd). “That depends on the body, but I don’t want to let RTL completely stand still. I’m definitely training for that.”
Marco Schwarz in third place at Alta Badia and ninth on Tuesday and Fabio Gstrein in twelfth place at Madonna ensured more good positions from ÖSV, Michael Matt (15th and 16th) still a bit lacking in top form. Unlike the day before, the Kärntner Schwarz did not achieve any significant improvement in results on Madonna. “You can’t afford to make mistakes. It’s a brutally tight box when you’re ninth, 0.58 seconds back,” Schwarz said, referring to the high level.
He had a hard time on the not so hard slope. “But with two solid races it looks good, I am competitive and I want to show that in January,” said the third-place finisher of the 2019 World Cup optimistically. The next race is the slalom in Zagreb on January 6, speed competitions they are not a problem for the third place in the World Championship in the combination at least in the first month of the year. “The focus is on the slalom and the giant slalom.”
Schwarz has already had a corona infection that he contracted privately. Therefore, he is not worried about Christmas gatherings. “We can safely celebrate in our family,” Schwarz said, since evidently his relatives have also formed antibodies. However, in his own words, Feller also has his family evaluated before the holidays. He said January was too important with his many careers.
Arlberg’s Matt called his slalom performance “good, but very little.” “Under these conditions, I was always lightning fast. That’s not the case now, I have to see that. It means to keep working,” said Matt, who was third on Monday after the first race. Andreas Puelacher, director of men’s races, spoke of the good performance of the entire slalom team. “Like Switzerland, we are very well positioned there.” The problems in the giant slalom have yet to be resolved, but the last race gives him more confidence.
In the speed area, aces are still too prone to errors, the Carinthian said. “When it comes to sensitive skiing, others are stronger,” said Puelacher. But he is sure that in Bormio, on one of the most difficult tracks, Matthias Mayer and Vincent Kriechmayr will once again compete for the podium. There it continues on 28/29. December was the scene of the last men’s races of the year with Downhill and Super-G. The ÖSV is still waiting for the first victory of the season in the Alpine area.
Those: APA
