ÖSV's triple victory in Gurgl is overshadowed

What a World Cup start for the men's skiers in Obergurgl: The first slalom of the season had a lot to offer and at the end Austria celebrated a triple victory.

18 November 2023

From: dl

The ÖSV had a dream start at the World Cup premiere in Gurgl in the lower Ötztal. The half-time leader Manuel Feller prevailed ahead of Marco Schwarz (+0,23 seconds) and Michael Matt (+1,05). For the North Tyrolean Feller it was his third World Cup victory and his first in over three years.

But Black and Matt also had every reason to celebrate. The Carinthian has trained a lot for speed this year because he wants to go to the overall World Cup. At the start of the season, Schwarz was also in top form in the slalom. For Matt it was his first podium finish in five years. The 30-year-old had recently been through a difficult time.

Protest action by climate activists

The ÖSV ski festival was overshadowed in the second round by protest actions by climate activists, who sneaked into the finish area after the black ride and sprayed orange paint there. “Listen to the Climate Council” was the activists’ message. The race had to be stopped for 10 minutes with five runners to go because the activists had to be sent away and the paint had to be shoveled away at the finish.

Climate activists mingled in the target area and caused a lengthy disruption. © ANSA / ANNA SZILAGYI

The athletes who were still at the start were disrupted in their preparation - also because the light was getting darker and darker. In any case, Henrik Kristoffersen, who had already reached the finish, became furious and had to be held back by several supervisors. However, the exact reasons for this are not yet known. The race in Gurgl is actually classified as a green event.

Kastlunger points out

From the Azzurri's perspective, there were only two runners left in the final: Tobias Kastlunger and Alex Vinatzer. The man from Enneberg was in 23rd place after the first round and then went one better in the final. With the second running time, the courageous Kastlunger moved up to 13th place, which was his second-best World Cup result. The only time the 24-year-old was even better was last year at the Val d'Isere slalom, when he came tenth.

Tobias Kastlunger drew attention to himself. © APA / EXPA/JOHANN GRODER

At the finish area, Kastlunger radioed up to Alex Vinatzer. The motto was: “step on the gas”. However, the man from Val Gardena, who was 19th after the first run, made two serious mistakes and fell back to 26th place. When they reached the finish line, Vinatzer finally got annoyed with himself.

The men's World Cup doesn't continue until December 1st with a speed weekend in Beaver Creek. Tomorrow, Sunday (11.45 a.m.), there is another women's downhill on the program in Zermatt-Cervinia. Let's see if it can take place this time after it There was a cancellation once again on Saturday.