Linus Straßer is the king of Schladming. © APA / ERWIN SCHERIAU

In the Schladming madhouse: Straßer's fairy tales and Vinatzer's anger

Schladming is and remains a huge ski festival! On Wednesday evening, the slalom on the Planai once again offered plenty of material for heroic and dramatic stories. At the end a German cheered.

24 January 2024

From: det

Linus Straßer – that is the man of the hour in the Slalom World Cup. The Munich native won the Kitzbühel slalom for the first time in his career on Sunday, and three days later he was also at the top of the podium in Schladming. The 31-year-old was simply unbeatable on the rainy Wednesday evening and achieved a memorable double in front of 22.000 frenetic fans.

In the long history of skiing, only eight athletes have ever managed to win in both Kitzbühel and Schladming in one season. “Incredible,” said Straßer on ORF after the race. “I just took the momentum with me. Skiing is a sport in which the mental aspect is extremely important. And at the moment it’s easy for me to concentrate on essential tasks,” says the German, who learned to ski in Kitzbühel and lives in Austria.

Straßer curves to victory. © APA / ERWIN SCHERIAU

The final was pure thrills. In difficult conditions, the Norwegian Timon Haugan – in second place at half time – pulled off a magical run. Some people were already speculating that he would win, but Straßer was still at the top and was able to beat Haugan's fantastic time. The Frenchman Clement Noel came third.

Vinatzer's top spot evaporates

For Alex Vinatzer, meanwhile, things are magical. After a very strong first round, the man from Val Gardena was in 5th place and had his first top placement of the season in sight. “Vinni” also did well for a long time in the second run, and although he continually lost time, a top position beckoned - but then the 24-year-old started to drop in at the bottom.

“That threader really hurts.” Alex Vinatzer

Vinatzer's reaction: pure anger. He tapped his helmet several times in anger and disbelief and then said: “This threader really hurts. I felt good, so it would have been fantastic to get a good result in front of this backdrop.” So it remains an epidemic slalom season for the Val Gardena native, whose best placement is 16th place. At least things are going better for him in his second discipline, giant slalom.

Tobias Kastlunger was eliminated in the first round. Simon Maurberger and Matteo Canins, however, did not make it into the decision. The best Azzurro was Tommaso Sala in ninth place.

The men's World Cup is now moving to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where a Super-G is on the program on Saturday and Sunday.