2024-01-15 18:46:00
Can Katharina Liensberger and Co. continue their upward trend at the night slalom in Flachau?
After the ÖSV women’s successful appearance at the speed races in Zauchensee, the slalom team also wants to have a say in the podium places in Flachau on Tuesday (6/8:45 p.m., live ORF 1 and SN ticker). After a completely botched last season, Katharina Liensberger and Co. have collectively moved closer to the top this winter. With four athletes they are now back in the top 15, making them the first challengers to Mikaela Shiffrin and Petra Vlhová.
According to technical head coach Klaus Mayrhofer, all four Katharinas have the potential for the podium to intervene in the victory duel between Shiffrin and Vlhová, but everything has to work together. “The main thing is to reduce the backlog,” says Mayrhofer. Liensberger and Huber are currently setting the pace in training, but Troupe and Gallhuber have also been on the podium or close to it this season. Liensberger has special memories of Flachau. “Every home race is special, but for me personally, Flachau is even more special. I drove my first World Cup race here, I was on the podium here for the first time and the atmosphere is unique anyway,” says the Vorarlberg native.
In general, says Liensberger, she would enjoy the atmosphere and the hustle and bustle, the gauntlet between autograph hunters and the media. “But of course it’s a balancing act to keep your focus.” It will also be a balancing act on the route to find the right balance between risk and reaching the finish line. Head coach Roland Assinger recently called for more of a “winning mentality”, i.e. willingness to attack. The athletes were able to partially implement it; Flachau should now be the place that brings out the final overcomer. “The floodlights and the fans obviously invite you to do it. For us it’s definitely the race par excellence,” says Troupe.
In contrast to last year, when the unprecedented crisis in the ÖSV technical team was at its peak, the team now presents a decent picture once more. In order to push each other further to the top, as in the speed team, even more success is needed. If this succeeds in Flachau, it would be even more valuable.
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