The German Ski Association (DSV) had the best prospects for the first medal at the Ski World Cup in Saalbach Hinterglemm: Emma Aicher showed a strong performance in the departure and, with second place, provided a good starting position for her team partner Lena Dürr. But the medal cost a carelessness.
The starting point was optimal for Lena Dürr: Emma Aicher presented the second fastest time on the departure, leaving downhill world champion Breezy Johnson from the USA and the Austrian World Cup winner Mirjam Puchner. Only the American Lauren Macuga, who formed a team with Paula Moltzan, was 0.23 seconds faster than Aicher.
A medal was within reach, but the fight for the podium was exciting: Team Austria 1 with Puchner and the Slalom World Champion of 2021, Katharina Liensberger, was only five hundredths of a second behind the Germans. The US duo, consisting of Johnson and Mikaela Shiffrin, was on intermediate rank four; The long-time slalom dominator went into the crucial slalom with 0.51 seconds behind.
Shiffrin is back – and how!
And Shiffrin delivered – the American drove the best time in the meantime – she clearly showed at the finish: I am back. For the slalom queen, it was only the second slalom after her serious injury, which she suffered in Killington in November. Liensberger, on the other hand, had to struggle with the slope and fell far back.
Dürr is “Stocksauer”
And then Dürr came, she was already on the podium three times this season: she was concentrated above, but then on the target slope all hopes were there. Dürr came inside and just made it back onto the slopes. She saved herself, but then had more than four seconds behind. Dürr roared out of her anger. “I would have had to go more at the transition. I am Stocksauer. This is not the result that we hoped for” Dürr said at “Eurosport”. However, there were no allegations of Aicher: “It just happens. I know it myself. She tried everything.”
Even Paula Moltzan could not push Shiffrin off the top. Together with Breezy Johnson, the American celebrated the first world championship title in the history of the Alpine Ski World Cup. “It’s crazy. If someone had told us that 10 or 15 years ago, nobody would have believed that. It has been a legend for a decade. That’s cool“, emphasized a radiant Johnson. “I didn’t think that. Breezy did a great job. It was so exciting. I had to deliver”added Shiffrin in a good mood.
After a catch -up from Wendy Holdener in slalom, Switzerland was second. Lara Gut-Behrami, as the eleventh, delivered a rather disappointing departure. Third place went to the duo Stephanie Venier/Katharina troop (AUT).
Weidle-Winkelmann Stark in the departure, Hilzinger threads
Jessica Hilzinger started from fifth place, whom Kira Weidle-Winkelmann had taken care of in the departure. The season has so far been disappointing for the 27-year-old. But the thumbs of Weidle -Winkelmann also used nothing – Hilzinger threaded in the vertical thread and eliminated. Weidle-Winkelmann may be satisfied with her departure performance. The Starnberger showed a significant increase in performance compared to the special descent when she became twelfth.
Team combination celebrates its premiere at a ski World Cup
The team combination is in the World Cup program for the first time this year. This new competition will also replace the traditional individual combination from departure and slalom at the 2026 Olympic Games in 2026. The competition has not yet been carried out in the World Cup.
Each nation may report up to four teams consisting of a downhill and a slalom runner, whose terms are then added to an overall result. The route for the combination descent is not shortened as usual, but the complete special descent must be mastered. Only one run is completed in the slalom.