Linus Straßer cannot repeat his victory from the previous year in the slalom in Kitzbühel. A Canadian surprises in the descent on the streak.
Linus Straßer had “peace” with the nasty “Schweinsberg”, he wanted to add at least his first podium placement from the previous year in this tough winter so far. This time, however, the Munich team lacked a few hundredths on his local mountain: 0.09 seconds separated him from third place, 0.28 seconds from the Frenchman Clement Noel, who celebrated his fourth victory this season on the Ganslernhang in Kitzbühel.
“I am absolutely satisfied,” emphasized Straßer, after he had briefly cleared his anger at the finish. “It is also part of becoming almost fifth. In the end you can’t force such a podium or a win.” After all: Before the slalom on Wednesday evening in Schladming, where he also won last year, and the World Cup in Saalbach-Hinterglemm (4th to 16th February) was the fifth place of Straßer’s second best season result.
Before the eyes of the soccer world champion Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller, who bravely defied the rain in the stands with her friend Felix Neureuther, Straßer gave his chances in the first run, which he had ended as ninth. Then he “drove too controlled,” he said self -critically: “I didn’t really let go.”
You couldn’t say that from James Crawford. When the big favorites were already at the foot of the Hahnenkamm on Saturday at the departure in Kitzbühel, as “Terminator” Arnold Schwarzenegger and another 45,000 ski fans and party willing to the Holy Berg of the Austrians, the Austrian expected a victory of the Swiss Alexis Monney, came up Suddenly the Canadian shot down.
With start number 20, the reigning world champion in the Super-G cleaned up the field from behind and raced to his first victory in the World Cup. “I went in without expectations. But winning here is the dream of everyone,” he said. In a race without the feared heavy falls, Crawford was just ahead of Monney (+0.08) and compatriot Cameron Alexander (+0.22).
The Germans? For Romed Baumann, his 50th start in Kitzbühel did not meet the hopes of a top ten result. He took 18th place (+1.38) on his 21st departure on the streak (more), the talented Luis Vogt after a faulty ride 45 (+3.19). “With 1.38 deficit I would have been third last year, this time the density was brutal,” said Baumann.
Crawford’s victory was the first for a Canadian in 42 years since the wild times of the “Crazy Canucks” around Ken Read (Sieger 1980), Steve Podborski (1981 and 1982) or Todd Brooker (1983). He also ended the dominance of the Swiss, who had occupied places one and two in the previous four departures of the season.
Marco Odermatt, who celebrated his desired first win on the Streif on Friday in the Super-G, became sixth. After that, he confessed that he “didn’t want to force anything” because of the many falls in the Super-G in the descent.