Will Linus Straßer crown his outstanding form at the night slalom in Schladming? After the first round, the German model driver holds pole position.
Slalom spectacle in the pole forest in Schladming – right in the middle: Linus Straßer. The 31-year-old from Munich delivered a courageous drive in the first round of the legendary night race on the Planai on Wednesday (January 24th, 2024) with the early start number three and brought the best time down to the valley.
Especially on the steep slope, Straßer was able to demonstrate his class with finely balanced turns and gain the necessary time. “I was fully committed at the start and implemented my plan well – a flawless ride“, said the newly crowned Kitzbühel winner after the first race in the BR.
Difficult conditions – Feller is behind
The competition then bit its teeth into his 50.46 seconds. Also because the already demanding piste was further softened by the onset of rain and thus became weaker.
Even top favorite Manuel Feller, who has already won three of five World Cup races this season in the slalom and was narrowly beaten by Marco Odermatt in the giant slalom the day before, couldn’t come close to Strasser’s time and, after a few small mistakes, is already over one second behind.
Haugan is breathing down Straßer’s neck
Straßer’s closest competitors in the second round (from 8:15 p.m. in the Sportschau live stream) are currently Timon Haugan from Norway and last year’s French winner Clement Noel. Haugan was the only athlete who managed to really put Straßer under pressure and is currently only 0.1 seconds behind. Noel follows at 0.36 seconds behind. Atle Lie McGrath (Norway/+0.62) and Daniel Yule (Switzerland/+0.78) are also still promising in the race.
However, many top drivers had problems with the slopes. The Swiss Ramon Zenhäuser, runner-up last year, was eliminated in the first round. Compatriot Loic Meillard and Briton Dave Ryding also couldn’t really cope with the conditions and are already over a second behind. Things didn’t fare any better for Sebastian Holzmann (SC Oberstdorf), who is currently 2.32 seconds behind and has to worry about a place in the final.
Straßer’s unfinished business with Schladming
Straßer still has a score to settle with Schladming. After his victory two years ago, he was eliminated last year after just a few meters and had to watch Noel win.
This time Straßer is once again one of the favorites. Especially after he celebrated what was probably the biggest victory of his career to date on Sunday: At the slalom in Kitzbühel, he moved from fourth place to the top in the second run and won his fourth World Cup victory.
(Status after 20 of 74 starters)