Austria's downhill skiers are full of optimism: Off to the speed season in Beaver Creek!

Austria's downhill skiers are full of optimism: Off to the speed season in Beaver Creek!

The Austrian downhill skiers are optimistic about the upcoming start of the alpine ski season in Beaver Creek. Despite a mediocre preseason in which only second place was achieved, the team around leading deer Vincent Kriechmayr, who was last successful in the Super-G in 2021, appears to be well prepared. As oe24 reported, the team put the finishing touches on Copper Mountain before competing in North America. Everything points to excellent conditions, even if heavy fresh snow made training preparations a little more difficult. Head coach Marko Pfeifer is convinced: "The whole team is ready, the mood is excellent. It is also important that everyone is healthy." In addition to a downhill run, there is also a Super-G and a giant slalom on the program from Friday to Sunday.

Anticipation and challenges

Although the downhill preseason was unexpectedly weak, there is new optimism among the athletes. Vincent Kriechmayr in particular, who has not been on the podium in Beaver Creek since 2019, wants to end this disastrous run and build on previous successes. “The last few years have been modest, I haven’t made it onto the podium since 2019,” said Kriechmayr. This anticipation is compounded by the current uncertainty, as the first planned Super-G was canceled due to unstable weather conditions, the FIS reported. “It's a bad feeling waiting for the races, but we're preparing every day,” said Simon Jocher from Germany. Daniel Hemetsberger also describes the situation as unsatisfactory and tries to concentrate on the essentials with the help of fitness and training: “I have my equipment together and am confident.”

The downhill skiers must now hope for better conditions, especially when the race continues again on December 15th and 16th in Val Gardena/Gröden. While the athletes are currently struggling with uncertainty and capricious weather, their fighting spirit remains unbroken. "It's just super unfortunate. I've felt ready for a while, but I can't do my job," complains Jared Goldberg, an American athlete. Despite the demanding training conditions, the team spirit is strong and the athletes are determined to make the best of the situation.