The ski wonder of Alta Badia

When Patrick Feurstein swung down at the foot of the Gran Risa on Sunday afternoon in bright sunshine and in front of many fans, he probably didn't expect that he would now be able to make himself comfortable on the bright red leader's chair for a long time. Feurstein was 27th after the first round and only narrowly qualified for the decision. On his second run, however, he managed an almost perfect ride, which helped him create a true skiing fairytale.

Patrick Feurstein, ski professional from Austria. © APA / EXPA/JOHANN GRODER

Little by little, the competitors, some of whom had started the second run with a lead of more than a second, opened up horrendous gaps. The 25-year-old from Vorarlberg gained position after position. At the latest as an overall World Cup winner Alexis Pinturault was also impressed by the Austrian's fantastic running time , it was clear: Patrick Feurstein had achieved a magnificent performance. So great, in fact, that he was briefly allowed to dream of a podium finish. But that would probably have been too much of a good thing. In the end, the giant slalomist finished 4th, gaining a whopping 23 positions in the second round. It's understandable that the euphoric commentators on ORF spoke of a “skiing miracle”. His career was hanging by a thread Now it should be noted that such brilliant comebacks are very rare, but they do happen from time to time. In the case of Patrick Feurstein, however, things need to be viewed in a more differentiated way. And not just because he has only scored World Cup points twice before Alta Badia, with an 18th place being his best result. Rather, it is due to the fact that the Vorarlberg native's career was still hanging by a thread a year ago. “I ran from doctor to doctor for months. But I never knew what the problem was afterwards.” Patrick Feuerstein Feurstein had to struggle with physical problems. However, it was not the body parts typical of skiing, such as the knee or the shin, that were affected, but rather the head. “I constantly had inexplicable headaches,” explains the Austrian in the ORF interview. This pain was so severe that he was unable to compete in a single race last winter. “I didn’t know what the problem was for a long time. I ran from doctor to doctor for months, everyone had their own theory, but in the end I always stood there and still didn't know what the problem was.” Train like a Formula 1 driver A frustrating situation for the enthusiastic athlete. Will he ever be able to ski again? “At some point I found a doctor who diagnosed nerve inflammation in the head. So I went to Salzburg to see Marcel Hirscher's former therapist, with whom we worked in a similar way to Formula 1 drivers: the neck muscles and the cervical spine were stabilized and strengthened. “That worked,” said the ski professional.

As soon as the physical problem was under control, Feurstein returned to the slopes. There he was brought back into shape by Ferdinand Hirscher, Marcel's father, among others. The results are impressive: Feurstein got his first World Cup points in Lech/Zürs, his temporary top result in Val d'Isére (18th place) and now the next step finally followed: his own skiing fairytale in the giant slalom in Alta Badia, which for many is the heaviest in the world. “It’s really beautiful,” says the 25-year-old Austrian, overjoyed. He can do it again on Monday, when there will be another giant slalom on the Gran Risa.

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The ski wonder of Alta Badia

Henrik Kristoffersen was the celebrated winner at the Gran Risa on Sunday. But the story of the day was made by an Austrian who achieved a little skiing miracle - especially when you take a closer look at his difficult history.

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