Release from 14.02.2020
Christian Walder takes fourth place as the best Austrian racer. Matthias Mayer DNF. Vincent Kriechmayr took 10th place.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde claims victory at the Super-G race in Saalbach Hinterglemm. Mauro Caviezel (SUI) and Thomas Dressen (GER) followed in second and third place. Kilde at the same time in winning the race also took the lead in the Super-G World Cup ranking. The best ÖSV racer today was Christian Walder who finished in fourth place.
The athletes, coaches and organisers had their patience tested today. As in the days before, the organisation team was again on duty early in the morning, ensuring that the course was in tip-top condition for the racers. Everything was running smoothly up until the course inspection when once again the wind put a dampener on matters. The Super-G start, scheduled for 11:00 am, was postponed every 30 minutes, and not just once but four times. FIS Race Director, Markus Waldner coordinated with the OC and TV teams to save the race. At 13.20, it was time for the race to start. The long wait was worth it. The wind had died down, and the clouds gave way to let a ray of sunshine through from time to time. After lengthy discussion, the first racer crossed the start line.
The fact that the race went ahead despite adverse weather conditions is with merit in particular to the Austrian Ski Federation, the Saalbach Hinterglemm organising committee along with the numerous volunteers from the region including Kitzbühel, Schladming, Zauchensee and surrounding sports clubs. Without the dedicated support of the community, the lift company and the Tourist Board of Saalbach Hinterglemm it would not have been possible to take over the two races at such short notice. We want to express our thanks and appreciation to all those concerned. FIS and the participating nations have also recognised the huge efforts.
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Quotes:
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, 1st place: “Taking this victory home feels great! I’m glad everything worked out today”.
Mauro Caviezel, 2nd place: “It was very challenging today. Even starting as the 5th racer was a challenge. I’m not worried about the overall victory – every hundredth of second counts. I’ll continue to do my best until the end of the season. Today I am thrilled with second place."
Thomas Dressen, 3rd place: “Today we had to wait a long time. I just tried to remain calm and have fun. When I realised that the race was ready to start, I just stayed focussed and relaxed. During the race, I tried to achieve my best performance. I was surprised that I crossed the finish line in third place because I had the feeling I hadn’t been very fast. Super-G is not yet my favourite discipline. Sometimes it works out well for me, and other times it doesn’t. In Super-G, you have to attack mercilessly. I find downhill easier. Despite the fact that I didn’t risk everything, I finished third and I’m very happy about that.
Matthias Mayer DNF: “Due to the delay, a lower starting number would most certainly have been better. It got very warm, and I didn’t quite catch the wave and am feeling very annoyed but have to look ahead”.
For queries:
Josef Schmid
schmid@oesv.at