Dominik Fischnaller landed on the podium at the World Cup in Altenberg. © Hermann Sobe

Fischnaller breaks the podium knot

Dominik Fischnaller has done it: On Saturday afternoon, the Meransner landed on the podium for the first time this season. At the World Cup in Altenberg, he crowned a small comeback.

11 January 2025

From: never

The feeling is familiar, but it was clearly too long ago - Dominik Fischnaller returned to the podium on Saturday. In the first four races of the season, the overall World Cup winner of the 2022/23 season was still looking for the formula for success, and in Sigulda, Latvia, he narrowly missed the podium a week ago. In Altenberg, the knot finally burst and Fischnaller raced to a strong third place.

In the double victory of the two Germans Max Langenhan (1.48,210 minutes) and Felix Loch (+0,230 seconds), Fischnaller was initially in fourth place after the first round. Thanks to a mistake by the Austrian Nico Gleirscher, who slipped from second to fifth place, Fischnaller was no longer able to take a place on the podium with the third-best time in the decision (+0,399). The last time he was on the podium was in January 2024 in Winterberg. Leon Felderer (11th/+1,489) and Alex Gufler (14th/+1,666) were further back, Lukas Peccei missed the second round.

Oberstolz and Kofler surprise

In the women's doubles, however, the success of Selina Egle and her partner Lara Michaela Kipp continued. The Austrian duo beat the Germans Jessica Degenhardt and Cheyenne Rosenthal by a whopping 0,397 seconds and celebrated their fourth victory in a row. The Americans Chevonne Chelsea Forgan and Sophia Kirkby completed the podium (+0,556).

Sandra Vötter and Marion Oberhofer had great difficulties. © Hermann Sobe / Hermann Sobe Medienservice HS

Meanwhile, South Tyrol's hopefuls Andrea Vötter and Marion Oberhofer had a tough day. The two-time overall World Cup winners ended up in a disappointing 13th place on Saturday (+3,238), one place behind Nadia Falkensteiner and Annalena Huber (+3,703). Alexandra Oberstolz and Katharina Sofie Kofler did better, finishing in ninth place (+1,344) in their first joint World Cup appearance.

Nagler and Malleier fall back

In the men's doubles, Latvians Martins Bots and Roberts Plume took the win, followed by the Germans Tobias Wendl and Tobias Arlt (+0,123) and the Austrian duo Yannick Müller and Armin Frauscher (+0,131). The two South Tyrolean teams finished in the top 10. Emanuel Rieder and Simon Kainzwaldner fought their way up two places to ninth place (+0,799) in the final, with Ivan Nagler and Fabian Malleier (+0,821) finishing just behind them, having finished fourth after the first round and hoping for a podium place.