Linus Straßer missed the big chance on the podium in the slalom in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Henrik Kristoffersen from Norway takes the win. Meanwhile, the American Mikael Shiffrin, who is about to set a phenomenal record, is also unstoppable.
Ski racer Linus Straßer went empty-handed at the home World Cup in Garmisch-Partenkirchen despite an optimal starting position. As second in the first round, the man from Munich fell in the night slalom in the final run and was eliminated. At that point, the courageously attacking Straßer already had a one-second lead and was clearly on course for the podium.
Victory went to the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen, who celebrated his third success in a row on the Gudiberg. Second was Manuel Feller from Austria, followed by Frenchman Clement Noel. “I wanted to drive for victory. That’s how I drove. When you’re at the limit, mistakes happen. Unfortunately, it ended with the elimination,” said Straßer on ARD. The other German athletes David Ketterer (34th), Sebastian Holzmann (35th), Anton Tremmel (39th), Fabian Himmelsbach (48th), Adrian Meisen (49th) and Alexander Schmid (DNF) missed the second run. The DSV is left with nothing in terms of points. A debacle at home.
The runners had to contend with extremely difficult conditions. Due to the high temperatures in the past few days, the track had become very soft, and the race was still in the balance in the morning. The German Alpin boss Wolfgang Maier nevertheless said that one had to “praise” the organizers for their work, the alternative would have been “not to drive at all”.
Meanwhile, Germany’s top driver, Lena Dürr, has had a completely unsuccessful start to the new year. At the World Cup slalom on the Bärenberg near Zagreb, the 31-year-old missed the second run of the top 30 after a good 35 seconds after a serious driving error. Emma Aicher, on the other hand, finished eleventh in the final as the best German. With her best World Cup result to date, the Olympic silver medalist with the team also met the association’s internal standard for the World Championships in February in the French winter sports resorts of Courchevel/Meribel.
Mikaela Shiffrin, meanwhile, continued her impressive streak. With the fifth win in a row, the American won the title of “Snow Queen” awarded in Zagreb. At the same time, with her 81st success in the World Cup, she came close to record holder Lindsey Vonn (USA/82). In the second slalom near the Croatian capital on Thursday, she can draw level with her former teammate. Shiffrin won ahead of Olympic champion Petra Vlhova (Slovakia/ 0.76 seconds) and Anna Swenn Larsson (Sweden/ 1.21). Jessica Hilzinger also achieved her best World Cup result in 15th place and thus half met the World Championship norm. Andrea Filser finished 22nd.
