Noel-time only cracked by Vinatzer
So attack seemed the right motto. And that’s when Frenchman Clement Noel set the first target time (50.67 seconds) with starting number one. What this ride with an incredibly tight line should be worth, became apparent quickly.
Of the first ten starters, only world champion Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (Norway/car number 5) came within a hundredth of a second with a dream run.
Vinatzer trained his eyes
All others made minor bugs. Only Vinatzer (car number 12) got the right mix of aggressiveness, a tight line and a smooth ride. Even if his pad melted a bit in the lower part, he was eight hundredths faster than Noël at the finish.
It remains exciting whether the South Tyrolean Vinatzer will bring two good runs to the finish line. “I’m feeling good and I’m looking forward to the second race.” He explains his extremely narrow line with a special eye training. “My feet know exactly where to go”, he said with a laugh in the Sportschau interview.
Straßer in wait – Konstanz is missing
Germany’s slalom hopeful Linus Straßer wanted to regain self-confidence for the Olympic Games in the legendary slalom on the Ganslernhang. That didn’t work in the first run.
The 29-year-old, who has never “properly knocked out” one in Kitzbühel, made a serious mistake in the last transition and lost a lot of time as a result. He starts the second race in 17th place, 1.5 seconds behind, and as so often has to start a race to catch up.
But in this slalom year nothing seems impossible. Braathen ignited last week and drove from 29th place to victory.
Four Germans eliminated
In addition to Straßer, the DSV had five other drivers at the start. All of them could not place in the front field: Anton Tremmel just about reached the final in 30th place. David Ketterer retired in 38th place. Alexander Schmid, Julian Rauchfuss and Fabian Himmelmann did not reach the finish line in the first run.
Slalom as balanced as never before
Overall, the slalom field is becoming more and more balanced. There is no such thing as a high-flyer in the Olympic season. The bare numbers make that clear: the twelve possible podium places this season have been shared by eleven different drivers so far.
“It’s almost like in the casino, everyone can have a go”, joked sports show expert Felix Neureuther about the extraordinary season. If Vinatzer wins, he would be the fifth winner in the fifth slalom this season.
40 centimeters of fresh snow – 120 helpers make the race possible
Before the race, 120 volunteers worked up a sweat, preparing the slope early in the morning so that the drivers could have a great race. A good 40 centimeters of fresh snow had fallen – the legendary descent that was actually planned (was postponed to Sunday) was not possible, but slalom was. The technology specialists can work anytime, anywhere.
Status: 01/22/2022, 11:05 am