For a long time, the German alpine aces were lagging behind in the giant slalom World Cup. This season the tide has turned, even if the big hit didn’t pan out.
A little bit of disappointment was already written on Fabian Gratz’s face on Tuesday (March 24, 2026). At the World Cup final in Lillehammer he was very close to his first podium finish.
After the first round, the 28-year-old was absolutely within reach in fourth place, but in the final he was beaten by “surprised by the course we have just set” and fell back to tenth place. The same thing had already happened to the gifted skier from TSV Altenau in Schladming this season. At that time we went from third place back to eleventh place.
Germany’s Fabian Gratz celebrates his drive
Next step: two strong runs
“The next step has to be to do well in the first run and then go one better, but that will be really difficult.”said Gratz after his best season on ZDF. He saw that he didn’t have to hide and was fully involved.
Gratz has been competing in the World Cup for more than six years, but progress has been very slow. In the first three years he struggled to finish in the points. Now he is very close to the top of the world. Little by little, Gratz worked his way forward and just before Christmas in Alta Badia, he finished fifth and narrowly missed the podium. He raced forward from 29th place with the best running time in the second round.
At the beginning of the year, Gratz finished ninth in Adelboden and was back in the top ten. The fact that Gratz made such a leap is also due to his teammates Jonas Stockinger and Anton Grammel. “We push each other. We have all taken a step that we would have expected earlier”says Gratz.
Those who were once rejected fight their way to the top
The pushing is now expressed in numbers. Not just at Gratz. Grammel and Stockinger also made a huge leap forward. The two had already been sorted out. Still, giving up wasn’t an option. Both invested several thousand euros per season, using it to pay for trainers, training, accommodation and food. They joined an independent racing team, Stockinger for two years, Grammel for one year. The German Ski Association only covered the costs for races.
The (financial) effort was worth it: instead of flying under the radar, both are on their way to becoming world leaders. Stockinger took part in a World Cup final for the first time this year and promptly finished in the points in eleventh place. And with extreme back problems. “I couldn’t get up on my feet on Sunday because of the back pain. I wouldn’t have thought I’d take points now.”he said happily after the race.
Grammel: “Going in the right direction”
Grammel celebrated his best World Cup result with seventh place and was almost a little annoyed about the end of the season: “It’s a shame that my races were better towards the end. I would prefer it to be like that from the start.”
He was of course satisfied with how the season went – also with regard to his teammates. “Things are going in the right direction throughout the team and it’s only a matter of time before someone in the finish area can celebrate. That’s sure to come.”he is convinced.
Germany’s Anton Grammel in action
2021 – last Giant slalom podium
It’s time for a long dry spell to end. Since Alexander Schmid came third in Alta Badia in December 2021, no German ski racer has been on the podium in the discipline.
