Flachau (SID) – Ski racer Linus Straßer needs the next race to catch up for another place on the World Cup podium. After the first run in the floodlight slalom in Flachau, the man from Munich is only in twelfth place, the gap to the leader Johannes Strolz is already 1.56 seconds. The Olympic bronze medalist from Austria has his second win of the season in the World Cup in front of his eyes. In Beijing, Strolz was sensationally crowned Olympic champion in the combination.
Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath is second, 0.97 seconds back. Third is slalom Olympic champion Clement Noel (+1.00) from France. Straßer, who won silver with the team in Beijing, doesn’t have to look back too far for an encouragement: ten days earlier he had finished 16th at his home race in Garmisch-Partenkirchen and finished third.
In Flachau on Wednesday evening, the slalom that was canceled in Zagreb in January will be made up for, and at halftime the overall leader in the discipline ranking is far behind: Henrik Kristoffersen, double winner last time in Garmisch, made a mistake in the lower part of the course and made it with 2.67 seconds behind in the second run. Anton Tremmel (Rottach-Egern) was the only German to do so alongside Strasser.