“We’ll be ready”: That’s what the speed men’s coach says

It was a busy few days in Bormio. The Stelvio piste demanded everything from the riders who threw themselves down here over 4 days. Surely there would have been enough strength for day 5 - the 2nd Super-G - but no one was deeply sad, when the race was canceled due to high temperatures in the morning. So it's time to give a brief interim summary of the end of the year. While some athletes and coaches had their third dose of vaccination on the way home on Thursday, the coach of the Italian speed men, Raimund Plancker, took time for a detailed interview. Bormio brought Domme Paris's 7th victory on the Stelvio slope, but also a not so strong performance in the Super-G. Where lies the truth? Raimund Plancker: “What Domme showed in the downhill was phenomenal. His feeling with this track is unique. If he starts with such conviction, he is virtually unbeatable. Things are different in Super-G. The material coordination is much more difficult. Finding the right setup, i.e. the ideal combination of ski boots and skis, is the biggest challenge. After the inspection there is little time to prepare for the race. Many factors come into play. There are two training runs on the downhill and you have more discretion.” Christof Innerhofer was devastated after the downhill and finished 37th, but managed to catch himself in the Super-G in 13th place. “He has moments where he drives very well. We see that in training. What he lacks is the consistency, the ease of doing everything right spontaneously. Inner, like Domme, is an emotional driver. If it doesn’t fit 100 percent, then you pay for it with bad skiing and then the technology no longer fits.” A Prast in top form would also push Paris and Innerhofer to even better performances, especially in the Super-G. On the other hand, the boys like Franzoso, Franzoni, Zazzi and Molteni are not ready yet. You get a taste of the World Cup routes, you can’t ask for anything more.” Corona is also the dominant topic in the Ski World Cup. How do you deal with this in the downhill team? “The situation is bad. All we can do is make sure we protect ourselves as best we can, including with the 3rd vaccination, and at the same time hope that we don't pick it up somewhere. In January there are 4 descents on the program with Wengen and Kitzbühel, which are of essential importance, especially for Dominik Paris.” Domme Paris leads the downhill rankings after 4 races. Is he ready for crystal? Of course he can do it. He is ready for it and his big career goal is to win the downhill ball. But everything has to fit together, and the road is still a long one. But in the past he has always narrowly missed the ball because of one or a maximum of two outliers. We all hope it works this time. The prerequisite is that he gets through the season healthy. The next speed races are in Wengen on January 14th and 15th. How are you spending your time until then? “Also because of Corona, the athletes will train at home for the next 10 days. It is currently difficult to find free hotels anyway. And if so, contacts with other people would only be inevitable. So we trainers - the team includes head coach Alberto Ghidoni, Christian Corradino, Walter Ronconi, Lorenzo Galli, fitness trainer Giuseppe Abbruzzini, as well as the South Tyrolean trainers Michael Gufler, Patrick Staudacher and Raimund Plancker - will move around and do home training with the athletes. The journey to Wengen will take place on Monday, January 10th.” How present is the Olympics? “I would be lying if I said it was still a long way away. Our biggest concern is that we will hopefully have all of our athletes there. In any case, you will be ready then.” Questions: Andreas Vieider

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“We’ll be ready”: That’s what the speed men’s coach says

The year is coming to an end. In a detailed interview, the coach of the Italian speed men, Raimund Plancker, takes stock.

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