Austria is surprising at home World Cup: medal rain in Saalbach!

Austria is surprising at home World Cup: medal rain in Saalbach!

The Alpine World Ski Championships 2025 in Saalbach, Austria, offered a number of surprises and exciting competitions. Austria's athletes brought a total of seven medals home, including two golden ones, in an unexpected high. The goal of the Austrian ski President Roswitha Stadlober was a medal yield of six to eight, which was considered brave but was ultimately precise. Raphael Haaser reached the highlight of the event when he won gold in the giant slalom with the start number 22 and without a previous World Cup victory - a real drama in Austria's "problem discipline".

Surprising performance of the athletes

The Super-G competition was another stage for the Austrian athlete Stephanie Venier, who caused a sensation with her victory and a time of 1: 20.47. In the departure, US star Breezy Johnson showed her strength and won gold in a time of 1: 41.29, while the Austrian Mirjam Puchner secured the silver medal. According to NBC Sports, Lauren Macuga's women's super-G medal, who won bronze, was a remarkable success for the US team. The championship showed not only the shape of the favorites, but also the return of old stars, including the comeback of the Swiss Lara Gut-Behrami.

in men's racing Franjo from Allmen from Switzerland won two golden medals, one in the departure and one in the team combination. His compatriot Marco Odermatt secured the gold medal in the Super-G. Another highlight was the performance of Vincent Kriechmayr, who won the silver medal in the departure. While the events took place before the eyes of an international audience, the competitions also brought new faces and future stars into the focus of the ski circus and let the medal mirrors shine with unforeseen results.