Ski star impressed

Höll was very dominant despite the tough course

Vali Höll once again mastered the course superbly.(Bild: Patrick Wasshuber)

Vali Höll was once again very strong on Saturday in Leogang. The downhill ace was delighted to see numerous fans, including ski star Marco Schwarz. The Carinthian turned out to be an enthusiastic spectator.

The fans at the Mountain Bike World Cup in Leogang experienced a deja vu. Last year, local heroine Vali Höll acted like a machine, dominating the qualifiers and semi-finals. This year too, the downhill queen is in impressive form. In the semi-final, she won by 1.6 seconds ahead of Anna Newkirk (USA) and will be the clear favorite in the final on Sunday (14:15).

Top skiers slipped
Despite difficult conditions (numerous top riders slipped), Höll (Team YT Mob) kept his nerve. "It was crisp. I just skied down safely," said the overall World Cup leader, summing up the day. When the local heroine arrived at the finish line, it got really loud. "It's cool that so many people are already there on Saturday," said Höll in amazement. Why shouldn't you miss the spectacle on Sunday? "Because it's the coolest sport!"

Ski star Marco Schwarz was also among the fans. "I'm a keen cyclist, and I love downhill skiing too. It's very impressive how the riders shred down through the forest," he said during his first visit to the Downhill World Cup.

Marco Schwarz (right) was impressed by the skills of Vali Höll.(Bild: Andreas Putz)

Last year's men's winner Andi Kolb from Schladming came 13th - winner: Loic Bruni (Fra). Martin Maes (Bel) won the E-Enduro race. Erzberg winner Manuel Lettenbichler came 21st. Christoph Kolland