Radiant South Tyroleans and a curious coffee bet

Dominik Paris, Florian Schieder, and Christof Innerhofer achieved outstanding results at the home World Cup. The trio sat down with SportNews for an interview – including a glimpse into a coffee-related bet.

18 December 2025

From St. Christina in Val Gardena

From:
Christoph Niederkofler

No driver could get past the two Swiss drivers Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen (+0,15 seconds) on Thursday afternoon – but only mere blinks behind them knew the South Tyrolean local heroes to thrill the home fans. Dominik Paris (+0,19) celebrated his first podium finish in this still young Olympic season, while his teammates Florian Schieder (6th/+0,57) and Christof Innerhofer (+0,91) also excelled.

“It always feels amazing. Days like these always bring a whole range of emotions. People come for us, we're at home here – so the joy over such a result is immense,” Paris enthused afterwards in an interview with SportNewsThe skier from Ultental had his strongest start to the season in years, finishing eleventh in Copper Mountain, followed by sixth and fourth places in Beaver Creek – and now the podium. The reason is simple: "I've rediscovered what I need under my feet. That gives me the necessary confidence. When I'm having fun skiing and throwing in a few tricks, then everything just flows."

Schieder: "I could have taken the risk"

Schieder last finished in the top 10 in Wengen last January. Sixth place on his home turf is therefore a balm to the soul of the Kastelruth native, who struggled with knee problems last season – even though he's fallen further behind in a bet with Paris. "Sometimes we race for a coffee, even occasionally during training," he revealed with a laugh. "I'm still too rarely in the lead in the races, my coffee debt is growing!"

"At first I laughed, but then I realized: I'm in control. And I just wanted to drive in such a way that I wouldn't regret it at the finish line." Christoph Innerhofer

Innerhofer also had a broad grin on his face. The 41-year-old, who had celebrated his birthday just the day before, raced to a strong eleventh place, even after long breaks. The top 10 – in which he hadn't been represented since January 2023 – were only nine hundredths of a second away. "Whether one place up or down – it was definitely a good race. That's the most important thing," he said, focusing on his form and not on any statistical calculations.

The Azzurri celebrated a strong team result. © APA/afp / STEFANO RELLANDINI

The fact that he managed such a performance just one day after his birthday was a special feeling. "My physio said to me today: 'Christof, give yourself a birthday present today.' At first I laughed, but then I realized: I had it in my own hands. And I simply wanted to ride in such a way that I wouldn't regret it at the finish line," he explained. "And I succeeded. It all just came together perfectly, and that gives me a lot of motivation for the upcoming races."