Downhill in Val Gardena/Gröden

ÖSV men come away empty-handed with Swiss double victory

Franjo von Allmen (l.) won the downhill in Val Gardena/Gröden, Vincent Kriechmayr (r.) missed the top 10.(Bild: GEPA)

The second downhill in Val Gardena/Gröden also brought a Swiss double victory. Franjo von Allmen triumphed on Saturday ahead of compatriot Marco Odermatt (+0.30), local hero Florian Schieder (+0.98) came third. Austria's speed men, meanwhile, came away empty-handed ...

The ÖSV downhill racers also suffered a bitter defeat at the World Cup classic in Val Gardena/Gröden. The best Austrian on Saturday was Andreas Ploier in eleventh place with a high starting number. Vincent Kriechmayr finished 13th in the last speed race before Christmas, while the Swiss celebrated another double victory on the Saslong. Franjo von Allmen won by 0.30 seconds ahead of top favorite Marco Odermatt. Third place went to South Tyrolean local hero Florian Schieder, who was already 0.98 behind.

The result:

As in the super-G the day before, Kriechmayr was served in ninth place after a less than ideal run and 1.73 seconds behind. "I just lack a bit of conviction in the downhill. The way I skied, I don't belong at the front," said the runner-up, who is hoping for an improvement after the holidays. "My God, there will be other races, but I'm glad to be away from Val Gardena/Gröden."

Andreas Ploier(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Ploier with number 50 faster than Kriechmayr
Ploier was one tenth faster than veteran Kriechmayr, who took advantage of the well-known Val Gardena/Gröden effect of constantly improving light conditions with number 50. "This is a big surprise and I'm very pleased. Unfortunately, we are not at the top, but we are working on it. I'm very relieved and hope that this wasn't a fluke and that I can show this regularly," said the 28-year-old from Upper Austria after his best World Cup result. The third fastest Austrian was Daniel Hemetsberger in 19th place, otherwise only Stefan Rieser scored points in 22nd place. ÖSV Alpine Director Christian Mitter hopes that his speed team, which was left behind in Val Gardena/Gröden, will improve as soon as possible after Christmas at the Super-G in Livigno. "We have to keep working, they try everything, you can see that, but the shot often backfires. But we'll get there again," says Mitter.

Swiss set the tone again
The Swiss, on the other hand, are still riding the wave of success. Von Allmen, who crashed in the super-G the day before, managed his fourth World Cup victory despite a wild ride. "When you fall twice in the super-G, you do think about it, but fortunately it's relatively easy for me to put it out of my mind. That's why I'm grateful that it worked out for me," said the 24-year-old.

Franjo von Allmen(Bild: GEPA)

Odermatt, who won the sprint downhill ahead of Von Allmen on Thursday, only just missed out on another success like in the super-G the day before; a mistake in the Ciaslat passage probably cost him victory. "But the rest of the run was perfect, I'm very happy with my performance," said Odermatt, who has long been the overall World Cup leader. The top star emphasized that he was in a league of his own with Von Allmen.

Franz eliminated in comeback
Max Franz was eliminated on his comeback after three years of suffering following a fall in Copper Mountain after a failed jump in the upper section. "I was happy that I was allowed to ride, but a little carelessness on a wave made it tight. It's a shame, but nothing happened," said the 36-year-old from Carinthia, who is hoping for more chances in the next runs. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde did not start, the Norwegian, who has been struggling with problems in his comeback season after a long injury break, decided not to take part in the selective downhill as a precautionary measure.