Austria's ski duo surprises at the World Cup: bronze medal after a thrill!

Austria's ski duo surprises at the World Cup: bronze medal after a thrill!

Austria is celebrating a spectacular success at the 2025 Ski World Championships! Katharina Troupe and Stephanie Venier won the magical bronze medal in the new team combination. Things got really exciting for the duo towards the end of the competition. A few hundredths of a second separated them from their first gold medal, but Troupe said in an “ORF” interview after the race: “It was a little dream come true for me.”

The situation during the slalom was particularly challenging for Venier, who had shown a strong performance in the downhill, as she now had to rely exclusively on the skills of her teammate. She had encouraged Troupe to risk everything during the race. “Please don’t come fourth now,” was Venier’s thought as she watched the decision live. There was great joy when it became clear that the medal was secured thanks to Paula Moltzan's mishap, which brought great relief to both athletes.

A dream for Venier and the farewell to Vonn

For Stephanie Venier, this was the first World Cup medal in a team competition, while Troupe already won silver in the team competition in Åre in 2019. A great team spirit is evident in these moments, which was also exuded by the athletes on the finish area. Venier admitted that she was extremely nervous during her ride: "I thought maybe I could do a good run, but I really wasn't sure." Luck was on her side as her time was enough for third place – just ten hundredths of a second behind the Italian Federica Brignone.

Unfortunately, there weren't all shining moments: Lindsey Vonn's return ended abruptly when she crashed during the race. The 40-year-old American injured her arm but reassured viewers that she is gradually recovering. Other skiers, like Lara Gut-Behrami, also failed due to their own mistakes and missed out on a medal. The two strong Austrians, however, give hope for a golden future.

For the upcoming competitions, Troupe feels that the bronze medal has taken a load off her shoulders, which makes her confident going into the special slalom on Saturday, while Venier is now in better shape. The World Ski Championships have only just begun for the two medal winners, and they are ready to demonstrate their team performance once again.

Laola1 reported on the great success of the Austrian ski women. Swedenherald informed about Lindsey Vonn's accident and its impact on the competition.