Germany's great skiing hope is back

Thomas Dreßen couldn't stop grinning. In the finish area of the legendary Kandahar in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, the ski racer joked with his teammates and thoroughly enjoyed his return to the Alpine World Cup. “I’m just happy that I can be there again,” said the 27-year-old. “We’re just one big family.” Even if it was just a training session: Dreßen's comeback this Thursday was a good sign - for him and for the German team with a view to the upcoming World Cup in Cortina d'Ampezzo. The five-time World Cup winner, who has missed the entire season after a hip operation at the end of November, should definitely be there and compete for medals despite the extreme lack of training. Start at Garmisch race unlikely However, it was unlikely on Thursday afternoon that he would take part in the domestic downhill run on Friday and the Super-G on Saturday (both at 11.30 a.m.). Dreßen assumed that he would only compete as a forerunner. Either way, teammate Josef Ferstl is “very happy” that the 2018 Kitzbühel winner is back. And Romed Baumann also said he was really “looking forward” to Dreßen’s return. Only optimists would have expected him to make such a quick comeback in the World Cup. After all, last year's winner from Garmisch only started rehab in mid-December and then got on cross-country skis at the beginning of January as a light approach to snow. The first swings only followed afterwards, the return to team training last week. “It's logical that I'm not yet sufficiently advanced in my driving skills to be at the front,” said Dreßen, analyzing his training ride on Thursday, in which he was 3,03 seconds behind Max Franz from Austria, who was fastest of the day. No pain “I didn’t have any pain, that’s good, the hip fits,” he explained. Instead of time and placement, his main concern was to gain security. “Especially in the passages in the lower area” he noticed that he didn’t want to take too many risks, said Dreßen. And with a view to possible World Cup starts this winter, it is “first and foremost about what is worth risking”. The currently still good starting number for next season, for example. If the Bavarian follows behind several times, he could still lose it.

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Germany's great skiing hope is back

After a lightning recovery, the German ski team can hope for its biggest ace for the World Championships in Cortina.

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