Ski World Cup 2025: ÖSV celebrates medals and fights against old problems!

Ski World Cup 2025: ÖSV celebrates medals and fights against old problems!

The World Ski Championships in Saalbach bring unexpected heights to the Austrian team. ÖSV Alpine boss Herbert Mandl celebrates the medals so far as a great success. Particularly silver medalist Vincent Kriechmayr, who was able to return after a painful knee injury, is described as “worth his weight in gold”. The first week of the World Championships brings not only Kriechmayr's silver in the downhill, but also gold for Stephanie Venier in the Super-G and silver medals for Raphael Haaser and Mirjam Puchner. Mandl is optimistic and emphasizes that the speed riders are in a positive flow, which also benefits the technicians.

Challenges faced by technicians

While the men's team appears to be in a strong position, the women's team is still exposed to the crisis. Mandl emphasizes that female technicians lag behind the world's best and bring challenges with them. ÖSV President Roswitha Stadlober set the target of four to six medals for the 24 athletes from Austria. Mandl firmly believes in this possibility: “Five to six medals should be possible.” The focus is particularly on the performance of Katharina Liensberger, who is having difficulty finding her form after separating from her coach Livio Magoni.

The World Cup is a chance for the ÖSV team to put the difficult season behind them. Mandl expects the competition to be able to build on their previous successes, such as the eight medals at the 2021 World Championships in Cortina. “A partial goal would then be achieved,” says Mandl. However, the pressure on athletes remains high as they prepare for the next big race. This week will be crucial to show whether the team can live up to expectations, Mandl hopes for brilliant red-white-red successes in France, as well laola1.at reports.