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Vincent Kriechmayr
Photo:
PETER SCHNEIDER / EPO
The German downhill skiers are stuck in a performance slump three weeks before the start of the Olympic Games.
After the premature departure of Vice World Champion Andreas Sander, his teammates also fell short of expectations in the second descent on the Lauberhorn in Wengen, Switzerland.
Dominik Schwaiger was the best German in 17th place (+2.27 seconds), although he was a long way behind the winner Vincent Kriechmayr from Austria.
"It wasn't a good downhill weekend for us," he said.
According to the applicable rules, double world champion Kriechmayr should not have taken part in the two downhill runs because he had missed the two training runs due to a corona infection.
After ninth place on Friday, he won ahead of Beat Feuz from Switzerland (+0.34 seconds), who was third the day before, and Dominik Paris from Italy (+0.44).
After his 41st place in the first descent, which was held on a shortened route, Sander decided not to start again.
He wants to prepare for the races in Kitzbühel next week.
On the entire 4.5-kilometer Lauberhorn route, Sander's teammates were only slightly better than on Friday: Romed Baumann (19th), Simon Jocher (24th) and Josef Ferstl (30th) placed behind Schwaiger.
For Kriechmayr, the FIS jury summarily scheduled a "training" session on Friday morning.
The 30-year-old pushed himself out of the starting gate, but broke off the run immediately - the rule according to which he had started the training run was still fulfilled.
Kriechmayr emphasized that he was "grateful for the exception, but would have accepted a different decision."
jan/sid
