Alpine Skiing: Downhill Streif Becomes a Risky Balancing Act

Although the target jump has been dug up, the approach speed will not decrease as a result. The runners are focused and trained for it, Puelacher said. “You go there at the last point, nobody backs down, not even on Sunday.” On Friday, Swiss Urs Kryenbühl took a heavy fall after a failed target jump, suffered a concussion, a fractured right clavicle and cracks in the withers – and the internal ligament in his right knee was strained.

American Ryan Cochran-Siegle flew the Traverse and suffered a minor cervical vertebra fracture. And suddenly the true face of the Streif appeared again, which the athletes after training this time had described as “pleasant to drive”.

“Individual errors” as a trigger for a fall

“As stupid as it may sound, both accidents were individual mistakes. And if you make mistakes in our sport, it doesn’t look good. Kilde makes a slight indoor skiing mistake at Hinterreit, which also has fatal consequences. Skiing is not exactly a health sport, ”Puelacher said. For Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, defending World Cup overall champion, the season ended early on January 16 with a torn cruciate ligament.

By Friday afternoon, large snow movements had been made in the vicinity of the destination jump with heavy equipment. “Fortunately, the advantage is still there, everyone wants that so they can see where they are going. But the pace will not change, it will be cold at night, we will arrive again with just under 150, that’s right. The athletes have gotten so good, the equipment has gotten so good, the descents are almost too narrow for us, we can’t slow down anymore, ”explained Puelacher.

In the evening, FIS race director Hannes Trinkl even announced a possible cancellation of the downhill race on Sunday at ORF, stating that the athletes’ reactions after viewing would be obtained in the morning. “We can no longer react from the field, we get the most out of it. If the runners or the coaches say it is too dangerous, unfortunately we have to cancel. They don’t want to risk anything and will see if it is safe and feasible at speed.

Puelacher pays respect faster

One of the best jumpers is undoubtedly Matthias Mayer, who had to admit defeat to Swiss Beat Feuz by just 0.16 seconds on Friday. The third was Dominik Paris from South Tyrol. “The performances of all three were outstanding. They showed such a high level, it was incredible. Only little things made the difference, with Matthias it was the steep incline start. How the three of them crossed the road and dared to go down there was incredible in my eyes, “said Puelacher.

“Let’s see what we have left inside (in the next days, An.)”, Mayer had said after the first descent (substitute for Wengen). Feuz secured the winner’s check for 52,000 euros in Streif’s long-awaited first win, on Sunday Hahnenkamm’s true classic is for a whopping 81,000 euros for the first. “At Kitz you are happy when you can hit. But you still prefer to see the A ”, Mayer stayed in attack mode. And he knows that there are others who want to be on the podium. “Vince (Kriechmayr) is still there,” the Carinthian said.

Investigation of causes in Kriechmayr

Vincent Kriechmayr finished ninth as the second best Austrian, at 1.62 seconds. He couldn’t find an explanation for this, not even Puelacher. “We don’t know exactly what happened there, and from time to time he couldn’t keep the line clean. For me it is almost inexplicable. The final consequence was missing, for whatever reason, ”Puelacher said. But Kriechmayr is a brilliant skier who can win at any moment.

On the other hand, Puelacher was satisfied with the performance of the rest of the Austrians who crossed the route, although they did not have a chance after long interruptions in the lighting conditions prevailing at that time. “In terms of commitment, how did they get upstairs, Striedinger, for example. Until they stepped into the darkness, they had no chance. But that gives me confidence for the second descent ”, said the male boss.

Max Franz, still running low, had passed a gate and retired, Otmar Striedinger was 13th, Hannes Reichelt 16th and Daniel Danklmaier 17th. All runners after 30 couldn’t make it because the race had been canceled due to the wind.

Feuz is chasing a rare starting stuntman

There have already been two races at the same event in Kitzbühel twelve times, five drivers have won both races. Karl Schranz did it in 1972 and Peter Wirnsberger in 1986, the Swiss Pirmin Zurbriggen (1985) and Franz Heinzer (1992) and the Frenchman Luc Alphand in 1995. Feuz thus begins the sixth downhill double in Streif’s history.