After a restless night

Venier: “That was probably a good omen”

Stephanie Venier raced to the gold medal at the World Championship Super-G in Saalbach.(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Stephanie Venier raced to the gold medal at the World Championship Super-G in Saalbach. She was still quite nervous before the start, as the 31-year-old revealed at the finish. "But that was probably a good omen," the ÖSV athlete guessed shortly after her run. She also looks ahead to a difficult phase in her career ...

"Now I'm happy to accept the congratulations," said an overwhelmed Venier in the ORF interview after her gold medal could no longer be shaken. For a long time before the finish, Venier couldn't quite believe what she had achieved in the World Championship Super-G. Little by little, the big favorites fell behind the ÖSV athlete. The 31-year-old wasn't quite sure yet: "I'll wait until the last skier crosses the finish line," explained the Tyrolean, adding: "This waiting is difficult. 

But it was worth it. Because shortly afterwards it was clear: Venier won World Championship gold for Austria! And she set Saalbach alight. "It sounds surreal, I can't really believe it yet," said the Tyrolean, overjoyed.  

A restless night
Venier was still struggling before the race, as she reveals: "I felt like I hadn't slept a wink all night and was extremely nervous. I didn't know how to deal with it. But that was probably a good omen," grins the ÖSV athlete after her triumph.

In the end, she thought to herself: "I just have to get through it" and took on the challenge. Her pulse was high throughout, reveals the 31-year-old, who emphasizes that the upper part of the race in particular was ideal. "When I crossed the finish line, I wished for a one - and I got it," says Venier happily.

Redemption for Venier and Austria
After the Tyrolean had already celebrated her silver medal at the 2017 World Championships in St. Moritz, she now had the absolute freestyle: "You can't compare these two moments. I'm a different Stephie now, I'm much more nervous than I used to be. On day X, everything simply has to be 100 percent right. That worked today."

However, there were also difficult phases to overcome on the road to success, as the newly crowned world champion makes clear: "Anyone who has ever been behind the wheel knows that it's no longer fun. I just struggled every day, I often thought I'd knock my hat off. But life gives you everything back. 

The victory was also a relief for Austria. After much criticism and fear of a disappointing World Championships in the run-up to the event, the first individual competition resulted in a gold medal. Venier as the redeemer of the proud ski nation? "Sounds strange, I'm skiing for myself. But we can now say that we are world champions. That sounds cool. I still need a few days and weeks to realize it."