South Tyrol's ski fans should remember these names

Teresa Runggaldier After the Selva native had to fight for four years on her own and with the help of her sports group, she returned to the national team last spring. "I was told relatively early on that I shouldn't worry about it. But the relief and joy only came when I saw it in black and white," she says.

This summer she was able to travel to South America for the second time in her career to prepare for the upcoming winter. "Although it snowed almost every day, we were able to train for downhill and super-G. It was important for me to have something to compare against again," explains Runggaldier, who was only able to train with the speed team from October last year. The aim for the new season is to confirm last year's results. It's not an easy task, as she scored points 7 times and achieved her best result of 11th place (downhill in Crans Montana).

Vicki Bernardi In contrast to Runggaldier, Vicky Bernardi can look back on a steady rise: she became Junior World Champion in 2023, collected points in her first World Cup race in January 2024 (28th in the downhill in Zauchensee) and won the European Cup just a few days later. "I think that better summer training played a big role in my development," emphasizes the Val Gardena native.

Vicky Bernardi.

She is a special athlete in the Ski World Cup, as she is the only athlete, along with Romanian Ania Monica Caill, who relies on Nordica equipment. "I've always got on well with it. Since Manfred Mölgg took over at the company, things have gone even better. I also exchange ideas with Dominik Paris, who also rides Nordica," Bernardi reveals. With advice and tips from the downhill king, she hopes to make it into the top 15 of the World Cup this year.

Sarah Thaler The youngest member of the downhill team is Sara Thaler. She made it from the national team to the World Cup group within two seasons. "If someone had predicted this to me a few years ago, I would have said they were crazy. I usually forget how quickly everything happened and haven't really realized it yet," says the athlete from Ortisei, who is now pain-free again after a persistent inflammation of her lower leg.

Sara Thaler already pointed.

In her opinion, it helps a lot that she is surrounded by teammates with whom she gets on really well. "That's worth its weight in gold. We push each other, have fun and support each other when things aren't going well." She wants to continue to enjoy skiing in the new season and "gain experience in this new world."

Teresa Runggaldier Date and place of birth: April 12, 1999 in Brixen Place of residence: Wolkenstein Sports group: financial guard

Vicki Bernardi Date and place of birth: July 6, 2002 in Bruneck Residence: Abbey Sports group: Carabinieri

Sarah Thaler Date and place of birth: May 27, 2004 in Brixen Place of residence: St. Ulrich Sports group: Carabinieri

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South Tyrol's ski fans should remember these names

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