In the final training for the third downhill run of the season in the Alpine Ski World Cup, the still winless Aleksander Aamodt Kilde showed the best ride in Bormio. The Norwegian was 0.32 seconds faster than the Swiss Niels Hintermann on Wednesday. Of the Austrians, Daniel Hemetsberger (+0.43) in fifth place, Stelvio debutant Marco Schwarz (+0.85) in seventh place and European Cup runner Stefan Rieser (+1.44) in eleventh place were closest to the best time. Bormio. Stefan Babinsky ended up in 17th place, directly ahead of Felix Hacker, another ÖSV athlete who wants to gain experience for the World Cup through the European Cup. Raphael Haaser was 20th, Daniel Danklmaier with a goal error 27th, last year’s winner Vincent Kriechmayr 36th. Christopher Neumayer (45th), Manuel Traninger (53rd) and Otmar Striedinger (59th) did not stand out in the results list.
The ÖSV team needs to make up for something in Bormio after Babinsky achieved the best result in two days by coming sixth in the first downhill run in Val Gardena. In the second race, Schwarz, a long-time slalom specialist who was racing on the track for the first year, was the fastest Austrian in ninth place. Kriechmayr missed the top ten each time, and Hemetsberger even failed to make it into the top 15 twice.
“For me, this is something that needs to be talked about hard.”
ÖSV head coach Pfeifer didn’t like that at all, which is why he also criticized speed group coach Sepp Brunner. “I demand that the downhill riders and Sepp do a little more,” said the Carinthian last week. In his opinion, it cannot be “saying from the start that I can’t do it”, which was sometimes heard before the Val Gardena races. “I have a whole year to practice that. I have to practice the weaknesses. For me, that’s something where you have to talk hard about it and ask: What’s going on?”
Since the Pista Stelvio in Bormio has completely different characteristics than the Saslong in Val Gardena, the excuse no longer applies anyway. The mindset of the ÖSV runners is different for various reasons on the mostly icy, physically extremely demanding route. Kriechmayr (2022) and Matthias Mayer (2020) ensured that two of the most recent three Bormio descents were won by Austrians.
“I imagined it to be worse by far”
This year it seems as if the Stelvio has pulled out its sharpest teeth – probably also because of the relatively high temperatures. “It’s easier than the last few years. Very grippy, not icy, the course setting is more fluid. A bit tamed, but it won’t be easy towards the race,” said Kriechmayr. “I imagined it would be worse by far. But it is a very demanding slope,” said the overall World Cup leader Schwarz. “The slope is very, very good, but on the icy side. It’s already restless,” said Hemetsberger.
Before Kriechmayr’s victory exactly a year ago, the red-white-red speed team had decimated itself, as triple Olympic champion Mayer declared his career over literally out of the blue after the viewing. The Carinthian is back on site this year – as a mentor and additional assistant coach for his ex-colleagues.
Meanwhile, Kilde is also hungry for his first win of the still young season after missing out in Val Gardena. Where he had already won a total of five races, the 31-year-old only managed two second places this year. But other runners who have recently shown up should also be taken into account: Hintermann, the Frenchman Cyprien Richard or the Canadian Cameron Alexander, who, according to his colleagues, presented himself extremely well during the training in Copper Mountain. On Wednesday he was third in training.
