“Skis a disaster”: ÖSV ace is outraged

In the victory of the Frenchman Quentin Fillon Maillet, Leitner was 16th with a penalty minute. “I would have hoped for something different, but I knew that we would have problems with the skis when it was ice cold. That turned out to be true.” Even in the mixed relay, in which Austria finished distantly in tenth place, the skis were “a catastrophe,” said Leitner.

“I don’t want to blame anyone if we don’t find the miracle cure or the miracle ski. But I don't want to take all of this into account. With a running deficit of almost four minutes, we no longer need to discuss running form or my altitude training, because we have other problems.” For comparison: five athletes with three minutes of penalty were ranked ahead of the 25-year-old, meaning they took more than two minutes off him on the cross-country ski trail . ÖSV counters criticism The ÖSV's answer followed immediately: "So far, our athletes have been very satisfied with the material and our evaluations and, above all, the results of our athletes confirm this," said ÖSV sports director Anton Giger APA upon request. Leitner's harsh criticism was "particularly surprising," said Giger, "since he was using a ski that had already led to medals under the same conditions and for other athletes," he explained.

The analysis of the running times of the men's race was not yet officially completed on Wednesday morning. With regard to Leitner's deficit, the following explanation was circulated: Leitner loves wet snow that allows the athletes to sink deep because he can generate advantages here due to his comparatively low weight. However, the snow on the cross-country ski trail in Zhangjiakou is dull and pimple-hard due to the low temperatures.

With regard to the material, “a cross-divisional system” is operated that closely networks all athletes, says Giger. “Our employees in the area of ski service and technology are doing a sensational job here under very challenging conditions.” In the field of biathlon, the team is certainly one of the “top nations,” according to the ÖSV.

There is also a grinding machine on site at these games, which can be used to process the bases and edges of the skis. In addition to the structure, the cut is the most important criterion for good sliding properties, almost more important than the wax. In addition to the aforementioned exchange between the divisions, six service people would take intensive care of biathlon.

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“Skis a disaster”: ÖSV ace is outraged

Austria's biathletes, led by Felix Leitner, had no chance in the hunt for medals in the Olympic 20 km individual competition in Zhangjiakou on Tuesday. The Tyrolean then raised the alarm that the skis were “a disaster”.

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