Ivy Schölzhorn cleans up.

South Tyrolean medal flood at Italian Youth Championships

– At the national championships for the Ragazzi (U14) and Allievi (U16) age groups in Ovindoli in Abruzzo last week, South Tyrol's young talents made waves with their outstanding results. In addition to numerous individual medals, the South Tyrolean Winter Sports Association also won the team rankings of all participating regional committees. These successes are testament to the outstanding youth work being done here. The week was also a success for South Tyrol's ski aces.

March 24, 2025

From: pm

The title fights in central Italy began with five (!) podium finishes on the first day of racing. The U14s competed in a giant slalom, in which Samuel Prantl (Ulten) took the silver medal and Mattia Vinatzer (Gröden) the bronze. Gloria Kostner (Gröden) also finished third in the women's category of the same age. The U16s competed in a super-G. Jeremias Scherer (Alpe di Siusi) took second place, while Alenah Taschler (Gsiesertal) achieved the third fastest time. 24 hours later, the next decisions were made. This time the U14s competed in the super-G, while the U16s competed in the giant slalom. And there were also the first two gold medals for South Tyrol's talented athletes, won by Hannah Mahlknecht (Alpe di Siusi) and Stefan Prinoth (Gröden) in the U14 super-G. Prinoth’s teammate Matthias Mahlknecht came second in the U16 giant slalom.

The third day of competition brought decisions in ski cross (U14) and slalom (U16). In ski cross, South Tyrol's young skiers won no fewer than five out of a possible six medals. Gloria Kostner triumphed in the young women's category, while Mia Molling (TZ Jochtal) took third place. In the boys' category, local talents took home a full set of medals through Lukas Rabanser (Gröden), Alexander Dejaco (Alpe di Siusi), and Stefan Prinoth, while Samuel Prantl narrowly missed out on a medal in fourth place. The Italian Championships concluded with the U14s competing in slalom and the U16s competing in ski cross. Gloria Kostner and Mattia Vinatzer (Gröden) were crowned the new Italian champions in the "Ragazzi" category in slalom, while Matthias Mahlknecht was successful in the "Allievi" ski cross.

There were also numerous South Tyrolean medals in the combined event. In the U14 category, Gloria Kostner won ahead of Hannah Mahlknecht, while in the boys' category, Mattia Vinatzer took second and Stefan Prinoth third. In the U16 category, both combined titles went to young local racers, namely Alenah Taschler and Matthias Mahlknecht. Noah Gasteiger (Gsiesertal) took third place. No wonder that South Tyrol also won the overall ranking of the regional committees. "I am overwhelmed by the strong performances of our young racers. They underline the excellent work that is carried out in our clubs day after day. Therefore, I would like to sincerely congratulate all the medal winners and their home clubs on their successes. For the future, I can only hope that such a high level of work will be continued," said Markus Ortler, President of the South Tyrolean Winter Sports Association.

U18 Italian Championships in Reinswald

Last week, the Gran Premio Italia Dicoflor took place in Reinswald (Sarntal Valley). Some of the FIS races also counted as the U18 Italian Championships. In the opening race, Ivy Schölzhorn (Renngemeinschaft Wipptal) from the Italian national team took second place in the U21 and U18 age groups with the third overall time in the downhill on Tuesday. The victory went to Christina Trabucchi from Lombardy (like Schölzhorn, born in 2007), who was crowned U18 Italian Champion the following day. Schölzhorn won the silver medal and also placed third in the U21 GPI rankings.

After the young women, it was the men's turn on Thursday and Friday. Tommy Lochmann (SC Vigiljoch) won the first downhill race. Noah Gamper (ASV Tscherms) took the fourth-fastest overall time in the U18 category. Luis Schuster (Kronplatz) finished second in the U18 category. Finally, the Italian U18 downhill champions were crowned on Friday. Gamper confirmed his excellent form and won the gold medal, while Schuster took bronze behind Luca Larcher from Trentino. Alex Silbernagl (Alpe di Siusi) narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth.

But the downhill races in the Sarntal Valley were not only a great success from a sporting perspective. The races also left nothing to be desired in terms of organization. "We received a lot of positive feedback, including from Urs Lehmann, the President of the Swiss Ski Federation, who was present in Reinswald. The safety standards were certainly comparable to those at the European Cup. Therefore, a big thank you goes out to Reinswalder Bergbahnen AG, which is a very reliable partner in organizing these races. Of course, we are delighted that we are at the forefront at the national level with our young athletes in the U18 category. However, these successes should not be the end of a career in skiing, but rather the beginning," explained Christian Thoma, Head of Alpine Skiing at the South Tyrol Regional Winter Sports Association.

At the international level, two other young South Tyroleans, Max Clara (Kronplatz) and David Castlunger (Alta Badia), have made waves in the technical disciplines. In Rogla, Slovenia, Clara won the first of two giant slaloms last week, while Castlunger took second place in the second.

The Masters crown their national champions

The Raiffeisen South Tyrol Cup for Masters skiers came to a close this weekend. Two giant slaloms were held on the Gitsch slope in the Gitschberg Jochtal ski area, one of which also counted as the regional championship. Seventy finalists competed in this season's finale, where, after seven races in the current championship, the final 70 points for the overall ranking were up for grabs. Regina Mair (ASV Valente) achieved the best time in the women's final, ahead of Sarah Leitner (ASV Valente) and Nina Schwienbacher (ASC Ortler), while Martin Schmuck (Alpe di Siusi) was ahead of Aron Hofer (RG Wipptal) and Günther Stockner (ASV Feldthurns) in the men's final.

The overall winners of the South Tyrol Cup at a glance:
Master C: Cinzia Valt
Master B: Christian Oberthaler
Master A: Günther Stockner
General age group: Nina Schwienbacher and Martin Schmuck

In the second race, the state champions in the respective master's categories were determined. Sarah Leitner (ASV Valente) achieved the best time in the women's national championships, ahead of Regina Mair (ASV Valente) and Sylvia Gafriller (SSV Taufers). In the men's race, Martin Schmuck (Alpe di Siusi) took the lead, ahead of Hubert Thaler (ASC Sarntal) and Günther Stockner (ASV Feldthurns).

Here is an overview of the new national champions in each category:
Master C9 female: Marta Ciatti (Merano)
Master C8 female: Sigrid Lang (Welschnofen)
Master C7 female: Cinzia Valt (Welschnofen)
Master C4 female: Regina Mair (Skt. Valente)
Master C3 female: Halene Mittersteiner (SC Meran)
Master B12 male: Albert Tschager (Kaltern)
Master B11 male: Michael Kritzinger (Alpe di Siusi)
Master B10 male: Josef Auer (Taufers)
Master B9 male: Alois Rainer (Schnals)
Master B8 male: Martin Lerchner (Gitschberg)
Master B7 male: Alois Gufler (Meran)
Master A6 male: Reinhard Leitner (Skt. Valente)
Master A5 male: Hubert Josef Thaler (Sarntal)
Master A4 male: Günther Stockner (Feldthurns)
Master A3 male: Dietmar Plankl (Alpe di Siusi)
Master A2 male: Thomas Mitterrutzner (Neustift)
Master A1 male: Aaron Hofer (Wipptal)
Senior female: Sarah Leitner (Skt. Valente)
Senior male: Martin Schmuck (Alpe di Siusi)