Losers & Surprises: Franz Gamper's big World Cup analysis

Franz Gamper is a luminary in the alpine ski circuit. The 68-year-old Ultner from St. Nicholas already had greats like Martina Ertl, Deborah Compagnoni and the legendary Viking team around Aksel Lund Svindal and Kjetil Jansrud under his wing. Since this season he and Tomas Bank have formed the coaching team for the Czech all-rounder Ester Ledecka. Franz Gamper, who likes to be out in the mountains in his free time and sings in the men's choir, analyzed the World Cup in Cortina d'Ampezzo for s+. Franz Gamper about… the organization of the World Cup: Gamper: “You have to give them a big compliment. The organization was great and the FIS made good decisions, for example when it snowed so heavily at the start of the World Cup. After that, the good weather made things easier. The slopes were also always great, except for the combined slalom. There was no need for such an ice slope.” the performance of his athlete: “Ester showed good races. She finished fourth twice, each time just a few hundredths of a second shy of a medal. They were caused by a bit of bad luck, but also by small mistakes. She is still relatively inexperienced and in the speed area you just need experience. She still has a lot to learn, but as I said, the results weren't bad. Nevertheless, you don't need two fourth places at a World Cup. Only the medals count, the rest will soon be forgotten. But that’s how it is with skiing: sometimes the hundredths are for you, sometimes they’re against you.”

Franz Gamper and Ester Ledecka: The Czech came fourth twice at the World Championships.

the results of the Azzurri: “In my opinion, the Italian team has had a bad World Cup. One would have expected more medals, especially from the women. I was sure that Bassino would finish on the podium in the giant slalom. I would have taken any bet on that. But that's how World Championships are. I can remember athletes who failed as favorites at a World Cup and then never reached the same level again. The men had Dominik (Paris; editor's note) hoped. With him you could see how close everything is together. If you score too late and the medal is gone.” the winners of the World Cup: “That definitely includes Luca De Aliprandini – although I was already hoping for him. He always drifts into the corners and on such a steep slope this is often fast. You could see his full commitment and ambition from the first goal to the last. He wanted the medal and got it. Pertl (slalom silver; editor's note) also surprised me; I didn't have him in the reckoning for a medal. And of course the Germans, who weren't that strong in the World Cup recently. The Swiss were a force to be reckoned with, even though Gut-Behrami was surprisingly strong in the giant slalom.” the losers of the World Cup: “I would have expected more from Michelle Gisin and the Italians. Also from the Norwegians, who didn't achieve much apart from the slalom. They've just been very unlucky this season. A normal nation doesn't have more than three very good drivers and if they fail, it will be difficult. In addition, Jansrud is currently falling short of expectations.”

The parallel races continue to attract criticism: Franz Gamper generally thinks the format is exciting. © APA/afp / ANDREAS SOLARO

the excitement about the parallel competition: “That would actually be an interesting competition. It's just difficult to set two even runs. It would need a highway and GPS, or whatever. I believe that there cannot be 100 percent justice in this event. Maybe the rules aren't optimal, maybe something needs to be changed there. What should be avoided at all costs is that the slope has a curve when running parallel. Then we saw that it wasn’t working.” his personal World Cup conclusion: “For me it was beautiful. Because of the coronavirus, there were far fewer people there. For us trainers this means no stress and a lot more time. It was maybe a little strange for the athletes because fans are already cranking it up. On the other hand, they also had less stress. Overall, I really enjoyed the World Cup. Just being in front of such a backdrop when the weather is nice. This is a dream. I know I am privileged to have been able to be there. In short: I liked it!”

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Losers & Surprises: Franz Gamper's big World Cup analysis

The 2021 World Ski Championships in Cortina d'Ampezzo is history. For s+, coaching legend Franz Gamper looks back on what happened - including his personal highlights.

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