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Linus Straßer took a deep breath and immediately knew why the top 15 in the first slalom of the season was not there for him. “If I’m completely honest, I didn’t feel completely safe,” admitted the ski racer in Alta Badia on Monday. 18th place sounds disappointing, but the 1.11-second gap to winner Ramon Zenhäusern wasn’t all that devastating. In view of the recent past, the rear placement of the best German slalom rider was even more acceptable: Strasser had entered the race with a clear training deficit.
The 28-year-old was unable to train properly for most of the fall due to a swollen quadriceps tendon in his thigh. Above all, he failed many units in race conditions, that is, with goal bars. “I’m just looking for that feeling,” he reported in the Dolomites. And without feeling like you have no chance in slalom with the extremely close distances in world class.
“A good start”
Swiss Olympic runner-up Zenhäusern won just ahead of Austrians Manuel Feller (+0.08) and Marco Schwarz (+0.12). South Tyrolean Alex Vinatzer, leader after the first heat, fell to fourth place (+0.19). As the second German driver in the final, Sebastian Holzmann placed 25th (+1.44); the fourth fastest running time in the final was a small additional success for the Oberstdorf rider.
The hopes of slalom in the German Ski Association (DSV) rest in Straßer. “Linus has only been skiing for a month,” said dpa national coach Christian Schwaiger. He also made two major mistakes in the end. “So it was a good start, it just takes a little longer. The speed is already there. And with racing comes safety for him, ”said Schwaiger.
“I hope to be in the top ten”
Straßer also believes in himself and does not want to put himself under pressure. In the next slalom on Tuesday night (5.45pm and 8.45pm on Eurosport and on the BR Livestream) you have the second chance of this World Cup winter under the spotlight of Madonna di Campiglio. “It is important for me to take the next step,” he told BR. “I hope to be in the top ten.”
Other races are more important. “I think in January, when it comes to sausage, the shape is correct,” predicted the Bavarian ahead of the classics in Adelboden, Wengen, Kitzbühel and Schladming. And in February, the highlight of the season is the Cortina World Cup.
So you also want to regain the guts you need for the top positions. In Alta Badia it was still missing in the second sleeve. The course was “extremely easy” and “very fast” so it was made for merciless attacks. “But I didn’t get to cross the last threshold because I still lack security,” Strasser said. “But I can and will work for that.”
