In Arosa, Switzerland, Daniela Maier achieved her first podium finish of the season. Cornell Renn, on the other hand, crashed heavily in the semifinals.
The German ski crosser Daniela Maier raced onto the podium under floodlights in Arosa. It was the first top-three result for the Swabian. Maier, who normally enjoys long and difficult routes, got along really well with the short track in the Swiss winter sports resort. She only had to admit defeat by the outstanding Swede Sandra Naeslund. Fanny Smith from Switzerland completed the podium.
“Wow, I’m really happy and relieved”said Maier and added: “It was a lot of fun. I found the flow, it was once again the kind of attack I actually do. I’m incredibly happy.”
Cornell race sixth despite heavy crash
The race was bitter for the DSV men: it was over in the quarterfinals for Florian Wilmsmann and Florian Fischer, and Cornell Renn then crashed heavily in the semifinals. The Oberallgäu native got off to a great start and took the lead, but then he got off the track. But the 27-year-old was able to get up again on his own and took part in the small final a little later, where he comfortably came second and thus took sixth place in the overall ranking of the World Cup race in Arosa.
The Canadian Reece Howden won the men’s race, Johannes Aujesky (Austria) came second, David Moaberg came third (Sweden).
Early end for Klapprott, Hronek and Co.
Like Wilsmann and Fischer, Veronika Redder was also eliminated in the quarterfinals.
For Luisa Klapprott and Leonie Bachl-Staudinger, the round of 16 was the final stop. Niklas Bachsleitner, Tim Hronek, Kilian Himmelsbach, Jonas Bachl-Staudinger and Niklas Illig survived the first knockout round – the men’s sixteenth final. For the men’s quintet, however, it was also over in the round of 16.
Arosa was the second of ten World Cup stops for the ski crossers, with a total of 18 races on the program for both women and men. The next two will take place this weekend in San Candido, Italy.