No DSV lady has stood on the podium in ski slalom for eight years.
A late bloomer from Munich has changed that twice in Levi, Finland.
Levi - For ski racer Lena Dürr it was probably the most emotional weekend of her career: On Saturday (November 20th) the 30-year-old from Munich made it to the podium in Levi, Finland, for the first time in her career in slalom - and thus secured her ticket early for the Beijing Olympics.
"I'm just happy," said Dürr tearfully in the
ARD
interview.
Only the two big slalom stars were even faster than Dürr on Saturday: Overall World Cup winner Petra Vlhova won ahead of her big competitor Mikaela Shiffrin.
With her creamy ride, Dürr secured the German Ski Association's first women's podium in slalom for almost eight years.
At that time, Maria Höfl-Riesch was third in Lienz.
Alpine skiing in Levi: Lena Dürr races onto the podium twice in the slalom
"Finally!
It was an eternal journey, but better late than never.
We're all crying together right now, ”said the disgruntled Dürr thereupon.
But there wasn't much time for tears of joy, because the next slalom was on the program on Sunday.
Dürr drove as if unleashed and repeated her coup from the day before almost down to the smallest detail.
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On Saturday as well as on Sunday, Dürr was in sixth place before the last descent.
While others weakened in the final, the Munich woman shone and fought her way to third place in Finland with aggressive descents.
On Sunday, too, only Vlhova and Shiffrin were ahead of the DSV lady.
On Saturday Dürr crossed the finish line 0.84 seconds behind the overall World Cup winner, on Sunday it was 0.78.
Alpine skiing season start in Levi: DSV ace Lena Dürr makes a dream start
“This is a dream for all of us,” said Dürr. Vlhova and Shiffrin would have dominated everything for so long and “seemed so far away. "It's fun to get involved now."
ARD
expert Felix Neureuther and DSV alpine boss Wolfgang Maier were also delighted with the late bloomer's "sensational performance". "You are on the podium with the two best slalom riders, that is a very special award for you," said Maier.
Dürr has been part of the World Cup team for almost 14 years and has contested 171 races.
Apart from a city event in Moscow in 2013, she was never on the podium in the slalom before this weekend, although she was considered a great talent and candidate for the overall World Cup from an early age.
It was only last winter that the Munich-based woman was able to permanently tap her potential with several top 10 placements.
Slalom sensation in Levi: Lena Dürr can't believe the podium - "it's madness"
And now two podiums in two days.
“It's crazy, just crazy,” said the 30-year-old after her second coup in Levi.
“This is a liberation, a lot falls away.
I've worked for a long time, it's just brilliant. ”Will the storm now follow to the top?
(yo)