Tristan Takats in action. © APA / EXPA/JFK

ÖSV star missing from World Cup opener in Val Thorens

That is bitter: Only one year after the greatest success of his career so far, the 29-year-old Austrian ski crosser Tristan Takats will be missing from the scene of the action.

11 December 2024

From: sn

The start of the ski cross World Cup season will be this week in Val Thorens, France. On Thursday and Friday, the best athletes in the world will compete on the challenging courses of the ski area in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

For the ÖSV team, the French track has often been a cause for celebration in recent years: three victories in the last four races speak for themselves. But this time the signs are different.

fateful place for Austria

With the retirement of Mathias Graf, who finished the race on the same course first in 2022, Daniel Traxler and Robert Winkler, the Austrian team has to do without three experienced athletes. The absence of Tristan Takats, who celebrated his first World Cup victory in Val Thorens last year, is particularly painful. The 26-year-old will not compete due to an adductor injury.

Tristan Takats has to take a break. © APA / EXPA/JFK

"It's hard not being able to compete at the place where I celebrated my first World Cup victory," Takats recently wrote on Instagram. The focus now is on making a full recovery so that he can return to top form soon. "I'm not yet able to perform at the highest level," he added. Takats was considered a potential young star of the team and will therefore be sorely missed.

Looking forward

Despite the dropouts, the ÖSV team remains optimistic. The remaining athletes have shown time and again in the past that they are capable of surprises even under difficult conditions. The start in Val Thorens offers the perfect stage to recommend themselves for the season and bring the red-white-red colors back onto the podium.

The races in Val Thorens start on Thursday with the qualification, before the first winners of the season are crowned on Friday. The ÖSV team will do everything in its power to build on the successes of the past few years - even if the starting situation is challenging.