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After the cancellation of the previous twelfth year of Sölden and thus of the best Manuel Feller of ÖSV, who did not feel ready after back problems in summer, the next seven men will be on duty for Austria in front of a few dozen Spectators on the Rettenbach Glacier: Marco Schwarz, Matthias Mayer, Vincent Kriechmayr, Roland Leitinger, Stefan Brennsteiner, Raphael Haaser and Thomas Dorner.
Miracles should not be expected, ÖSV coaches unanimously said. “We have recently invested a lot in basic technique and have worked on basic swing. Such changes take time, ”says neo-group coach Michael Pircher. Hirscher’s former coach took over from stuntmen Brennsteiner, Leitinger, Haaser and Patrick Feurstein, who will not be at the start on Sunday after last season. “At Sölden, the main thing is that we bring the technology we have developed to the snow. That brings a lot of feedback for additional training and the following races.
Men’s season opening in Sölden
The start of the season for men’s alpine skiing is scheduled in Sölden on Sunday. Two Norwegians are being hunted: World Cup champions Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Henrik Kristoffersen.
On the trail of old hits
According to Giger, the association’s master plan was already issued in the spring to reconnect with the glorious past, when the giant slalom was considered a strong basic discipline of the Austrians, in which athletes trained the perfect swing for Super-G and decline. Under division coach Giger, Hermann Maier, Stephan Eberharter, Hans Knauss and company raced from victory to victory.
About 20 years later, the giant slalom has developed even further in terms of distance between goals, course configuration and lateral line of skis. Last winter, Leitinger achieved ÖSV’s best result as third in the parallel competition in Alta Badia. In a classic giant slalom, Leitinger in Adelboden and Schwarz in sixth place in Alta Badia provided the highlights of the season from an Austrian perspective.
The “next step” is to continue
“We did quick turns last year, but we rarely showed them in a full race,” said men’s race director Andreas Puelacher. During training on local glaciers and more recently in South Tyrol Schnalstal, special attention was paid to Constance.
“The aim is to take the next step, improve on the starting list and aim for the top five and the podium over the course of the season,” said the Tyrolean. Sölden arrives a little earlier: “It would be good, but I would not assume it at first.”
Top ten as stated goal
Black definitely wants to be in the top ten on Sunday. “I can do that too and I have the confidence,” said the Carinthian, who wants to establish the giant slalom as a second pillar alongside the slalom. Brennsteiner explained: “It is very important to me that I just have two good races. I was able to develop more in the summer and I hope I can get it back. “
Leitinger wants to do better than last season, when he was often involuntarily retired. “You have to have the plums together and I will try”, emphasized the former world vice champion.
For speed specialists Mayer and Kriechmayr, the main goal is to get to the second round and possibly surprise. “It is important to me that everyone can achieve half of one hundred percent of the capabilities that they can perform. So I’m sure the result will also fit, ”said Mike Pircher.
Assign Favorite Roles
The favorites for the opening of the World Cup are Alexis Pinturault and Henrik Kristoffersen. The French Pinturault, who has a coronavirus infection, won the last editions of the glacier prelude in 2016 and 2019 (2017, 2018 the men’s race was canceled).
His Norwegian rival Kristoffersen, however, has never been on the podium in Sölden. The record holder is the American Ted Ligety with four wins, who is also part of this year despite his 36 years.
