4th place in the slalom: Vinatzer misses the sensation

After his plague-filled January (five point-less races in a row), Alex Vinatzer made an impressive comeback in, of all places, the World Cup slalom. However, he was denied the coronation, i.e. a medal. In the end, the 21-year-old had to make do with an ungrateful fourth place. Nevertheless, it was a strong sign of life from the man from Gardena.

The numerous intensive training sessions over the last few days have paid off for Alex Vinatzer. You could see that in the first round: the uncertainty and caution that characterized his performance in January disappeared in one fell swoop. The man from Val Gardena attacked, took risks, skied really well and took second place at halftime, beaten only by Austrian sensation Adrian Pertl. Ski South Tyrol rightly dreamed of its first medal at this World Cup. A strange second round The decision was characterized by a special feature: Because the FIS feared that the slope would deteriorate significantly, it was decided that the 15th place would open the second round - and not, as is traditional, the athlete in 30th position. That's why the ski stars took full risks in the decision from the start, which is why some top people like Marco Schwarz were eliminated. The medal was therefore within reach for Alex Vinatzer: During his journey, however, the man from Val Gardena accumulated a gap of over a second due to several small mistakes, which is why he appeared to be in third place at the finish behind Sebastian-Foss Solevåg and Henrik Kristoffersen.

Vinatzer reported back, but narrowly missed out on a medal. © APA / EXPA/JOHANN GRODER

Now the tremors began: Will Adrian Pertl, the sensational leader from the first round, manage to keep his nerve and reach the finish? The answer was yes. The 24-year-old Austrian, who has only been on the World Cup podium once, lost a lot of time, but fought like a lion and ultimately took silver. As a result, Vinatzer was relegated to fourth place. A race of surprise men The last day of the World Cup in Cortina was all about sensations: nobody had really expected Sebastian-Foss Solevåg to become the new world champion - even if the Norwegian is having the season of his life this year and his first World Cup victory a month ago could celebrate. Henrik Kristoffersen came third, earning his first World Championship medal in the slalom.

Manfred Mölgg showed a strong performance in what was possibly his last World Championship race: after 20th place at halftime, he was able to gain a few places in the decision and is in 14th place in the final ranking.

The World Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo came to an end with the men's slalom. From a South Tyrolean perspective, these title fights will probably not be remembered for long due to the lack of medals. But the ski season is not over yet, as the World Cup is now entering its hot phase. The speed ladies will be in action in Val di Fassa next weekend, while the giant slalom riders will be racing in Bansko.

Football

Italy

International leagues

International

Winter sports

Tennis

Other sports

Motorsport

Cycling

Watersports

Events

Favorites

4th place in the slalom: Vinatzer misses the sensation

It wasn't meant to be: Alex Vinatzer narrowly missed out on a medal in the decision after an outstanding first run in the slalom in Cortina d'Ampezzo. In the end, there were two athletes at the top who were not necessarily to be expected.

Suggestions

Comments (0)