Are (dpa) – Lena Dürr roared her frustration into the sky about Are. About a month after the bitter slalom result at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, the German ski racer was again unable to save a lead to the finish.
After the Munich native had led the field by 0.08 seconds after the first round, it was only enough for fifth place at the World Cup in Sweden.
Victory went to the Austrian Katharina Liensberger, who fought her way up from fifth place. In the end, the Olympic silver medalist was 0.34 seconds ahead of the German. Third was the Norwegian Mina Fürst Holtmann, who made it onto a slalom podium for the first time in her career.
Patzer prevents preliminary decision
Dürr could have made a preliminary decision in the first round. But due to a big mistake in the lower section of the track, she gambled away a much better starting position and a lead of 0.45 seconds at times.
Nevertheless, the drive of the technology specialist was enough to start the final round at her “favourite stop of the year” as the hunted. For a long time it looked like the 30-year-old would win her first World Cup, but another weak phase shortly before the finish cost her a place on the podium. Already at the Olympics, the German fell back to fourth place after her lead.
Even though Dürr was initially visibly exhausted and disappointed and relied on her skis, she ended up with her sixth top 5 result of the season. She remains one of the favorites for the season finale in France next week.
In Emma Aicher and Jessica Hilzinger, the two other DSV starters on Saturday completed the good overall result from a German perspective. 18-year-old Aicher finished 18th in her native country. Hilzinger finished 21st.