[ad_1]
“Val Gardena was to be forgotten, Val d’Isere a grab on the toilet. Now I want to show a reaction.” With this declaration of war, Vincent Kriechmayr kicks off the last races of the World Cup of the year in Bormio, where a Super-G will be played today and a descent tomorrow (11:30 am). The entire ÖSV men’s team is looking forward to a happy new year and a turnaround on “Pista Stelvio”. So far, male head coach Andreas Puelacher’s speed team still owes a lot this winter. Matthias Mayer is after eleven races (without a victory for Austria) as the best gentleman of the ÖSV in the overall World Cup, only 14th.
“Of course we are not entirely satisfied, but the program was not exactly for us either,” Puelacher said at the start of the season, which started with “three and a half giant slaloms.” Puelacher: “That is not exactly our favorite discipline. If a team does not start successfully, there is pressure, everyone wants to show that they are better than the results.” The lightness you need to stay ahead is often lost.
Kriechmayr second
This analysis also applies to Kriechmayr. After switching skis from Fischer to Head, the 29-year-old from Mühlviertel did not live up to his expectations. Other than the Super-G in Val d’Isere (fifth), Kriechmayr was never in the top ten in eight starts this year. “Much is possible, here in Bormio I have always had good races,” says the Gramastettner confidently. Yesterday he gained an extra confidence in himself with a second place in the second downhill training.
The fact that the “Stelvio” has not been as cold this year as in previous years does not play a big role for Kriechmayr. “That doesn’t make it any easier. It demands completely different properties than last time in Val Gardena,” says Kriechmayr, who hopes to finally get into a flow. “It hasn’t worked out that way in the race so far.” The moderate performance thus far would not faze him. Kriechmayr: “Errors have been analyzed, races have been scored.” However, today’s weather conditions could randomly open the door again. Heavy snow is the order of the day, hopefully the Super-G won’t turn into a starting number lottery. Did Kriechmayr win with number five?
Two-time Olympic champion Matthias Mayer is celebrating his 10th anniversary in Bormio. In its premiere, it retired after the jump of San Pietro. The 30-year-old Carinthian held two third places in training. That increased the expectation for the races. Mayer: “He’s restless, he’s tough, he’s really cool and demanding.”
The “pure madness”
In addition to Kriechmayr, Daniel Hemetsberger is Upper Austria’s second in the “Stelvio” at race speed today and tomorrow. Unteracher’s analysis sums it up: “Objectively speaking, Bormio is pure madness.”
