After just the first round, Linus Straßer was unluckily eliminated from the night slalom in Schladming. The victory goes to the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen – just ahead of his compatriot Atle Lie McGrath.
Henrik Kristoffersen lay in the snow in Schladming overjoyed. The Norwegian took victory on the Planai for the fifth time. His run was a statement to the competition in the last race before the Olympic Games. Nobody was as fast on the icy slopes as the 31-year-old.
He showed a solid performance in the first round. Only his teammate Atle Lie McGrath was faster. But even the 25-year-old couldn’t get close to the double world champion in the final. McGrath made too many mistakes, especially on the steep slopes. The Frenchman Clement Noel took third place. Despite a mistake right at the start, the Olympic champion fought back, found the rhythm and will now travel to the Olympics with a lot of tailwind.
In the video: Straßer after his exit
Black day for DSV drivers around Straßer
The DSV drivers had a day to forget in Schladming: no one made it to the second round. Linus Straßer was particularly disappointed. The Munich player had planned everything to repeat his Kitzbühel success. Straßer was sensationally third in the legendary race on the Streif landed.
Straßer-Aus despite lucky skis
In Schladming, the 33-year-old chose exactly the skis that had brought him so much luck in Kitzbühel. The slalom specialist started well and even set the best time in the upper part. Then he made a driving mistake, but was just able to save himself. Even on steep slopes he could no longer find his rhythm. Just a few goals before the finish, he began to slip more and more and fell a short time later after making a mistake on the inside ski.
Sebastian Holzmann and Anton Tremmel also missed the second run. The other drivers around Kitzbühel winner Manuel Feller also had similar problems to the Germans in the first round. After a few wobbles, the Austrian still made it to the finish. He coped with the conditions much better in the second round. In the end he ended up in tenth place. The Italian Alex Vinatzer summarized how difficult the Planai was to conquer in the Blickpunkt Sport interview: “It’s a strangulation,” he said: “It’s totally exhausting.”
The slalom in Schladming was the last dress rehearsal before the Olympic Games. There will be a fight for gold, silver and bronze in the slalom on February 16th.
In the video: Re-Live 1st round Slalom Schladming
Source: Blickpunkt Sport January 26, 2026 – 8:15 p.m
