At the slalom opener in Gurgl, Linus Straßer clearly missed out on a podium place because of two big mistakes. Climate activists are causing trouble with Manuel Feller’s victory.
Linus Straßer clearly missed out on a podium finish in the first men’s World Cup race of the season due to two big mistakes. At the premiere in Gurgl, Austria, the Munich driver only finished ninth. He was 1.56 seconds behind winner Manuel Feller.
“The placement is very disappointing,” said Straßer after his second run: “I knew beforehand that I was still at the level where I wanted to be to be at the front. But I’m on the right track and that’s coming also.”
Before the start, Straßer was full of anticipation for the “dream start” in Gurgl. “The slope looks fantastic, everything is there,” said the driver from TSV 1860 Munich in advance. For the first time in his career, Straßer opened a World Cup race, but after just eight goals the shock followed: an inside ski error cost Straßer a lot of time.
“Pretty stupid”: Straßer too aggressive
“That was pretty stupid. I wanted to attack, but that was a bit too much,” Straßer analyzed afterwards: “After that I threw my plan overboard and decided to let the skis run.” Despite his mistake, Straßer was only 0.67 seconds behind third place after the first run and was accordingly optimistic: “There’s still something in it.”
But the error devil was also on the skis in the second run. In the middle of the second run, Straßer was late at a pole and had to put his skis sideways. The big comeback didn’t materialize; instead, the Olympic silver medalist in Beijing struggled with his performance at the finish.
Austria celebrates triple triumph
Meanwhile, the Austrian Feller brought his big lead of one second to the finish in front of his home crowd. Two other Austrians, Marco Schwarz and Michael Matt, completed the podium and made the perfect day for the hosts.
Holzmann in 15th place: “I can do it better”
The second German, Sebastian Holzmann, had two solid runs and ended up 15th. “I got in well and found a great rhythm,” said the fifth-place finisher in the 2023 World Cup about his second round: “If I score, I’ll be far ahead “Then I stopped skiing and then of course you get a sticky one at the finish. I’ll take that with me, but I can do better.” The remaining German drivers Linus Witte and Anton Tremmel both retired early in the first round after driving errors.
Interruption due to climate protests
Shortly before the end there was trouble. Climate activists protested on the finish slope and scattered a colored powder. The Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen, who had already reached the finish line, then angrily attacked the activists and had to be held back by security personnel.
“If I were standing at the start now, I would be so upset,” said ARD expert Felix Neureuther about the campaign. “As far as I’m concerned, you should have a peaceful discussion. Let’s talk, or whatever.” The race was interrupted for minutes, then the finish area was passable again.