Raphael Haaser: Downhill gold hero and World Cup surprise celebrates triumph!

Raphael Haaser: Downhill gold hero and World Cup surprise celebrates triumph!

In the exciting world of skiing, Tyrolean Raphael Haaser caused a stir with his outstanding performances at the World Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm. With a gold medal in giant slalom and a silver medal in super-G, he cemented his status as a serious rider. “So far it is the highlight of my career,” explained Haaser, who has been cautiously optimistic since the cruciate ligament strain in December 2024 and plans to regularly compete in downhill skiing in the future. This decision, how krone.at reported, could also bring him into discussion as a candidate for the overall World Cup in the long term.

An unexpected success

Haaser's bronze in the combination was the big surprise of the tournament. Despite the strong competition in the Austrian team, including well-known skiers Schwarz and Strolz, the coaches believed in Haaser. He pushed through with his training in Kitzbühel, where he ran as “Apris”, and left all doubts behind. “Everything was well thought out and it paid off,” reported solowattaggio.com about the exciting course of his competitions.

The path to the medal was anything but easy. Haaser, who has already completed seven World Cup downhill runs in the last two years, remembers the challenging training and competition conditions. "You go into every race to win. But I didn't expect to walk home with the gold medal today," he admitted. His surprise at the world championship performance shows his humility and determination.

The support Haaser received from former skiing greats such as Peter Schröcksnadel, as well as his team's strategic training methods, have contributed significantly to his success. "Who knows what it was good for. There is no harm where there isn't also some benefit," reflected Haaser about his time with injuries, which obviously gave him strength to achieve the highest successes.