Kitzbühel slalom NOW live: DSV ace Straßer needs a miracle

Created: 01/22/2022, 13:06

By: Alexander Kaindl

Linus Straßer is far behind after the first round from Kitzbühel.

© Joe Klamar / AFP

Downhill on Friday, slalom on Saturday, downhill on Sunday: There is a lot going on in Kitzbühel at the weekend.

We are there for the ski highlight in the live ticker.

Kitzbühel slalom live: The status after the first round

>>> UPDATE <<<

1:01 p.m .:

The second round will continue here in a moment.

Will Linus Straßer manage a spectacular catch-up race in Kitzbühel?

We are excited.

12.15 p.m .:

Linus Straßer has almost lost sight of the podium in the dense snowstorm in Kitzbühel after the first slalom run.

Before the final (1:45 p.m.), the Munich driver is 17th and is around one and a half seconds behind the top ranks.

"It's difficult down there every year," said Straßer about the famous Ganslernhang: "The last wave was a bit stupid.

I just couldn't get off the edge, then the energy went up and I flew.” He lost around eight tenths of a second with this mistake.

In addition to Strasser, only Anton Tremmel from the German sextet made it into the final in 30th (+1.96).

At the top, a trio has already pulled away from the field.

South Tyrolean Alex Vinatzer is in the lead ahead of Clement Noel from France (+0.08 seconds).

Third is the Norwegian Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (+0.09).

10.42 a.m .:

The top favorites are through here, Linus Straßer is currently eleventh.

The second round then starts in the afternoon at 1.45 p.m.

14 - Luca Aerni:

The Swiss is in 13th place.

13 - Linus Straßer:

Can Linus Straßer go there now?

It's the turn of German hope!

He's on the right track at the top, but he's overturned in the last few meters!

Pity!

Ultimately, it is almost one and a half seconds that he is missing to the top.

The podium won't work today, it's the next disappointment from the DSV point of view.

In the meantime he is tenth.

"Linus has to do the first rounds better," analyzes ARD expert Felix Neureuther.

12 - Alex Vinatzer:

Great start from the Italian, he builds up a big lead at the top!

First place, great performance!

11 - Daniel Yule:

It's the turn of the Swiss, he too is missing almost a second and a half.

10 - Kristoffer Jakobsen:

The Swede is very courageous on top, drives a tight line.

But then he almost falls out twice!

Big deficit for Jakobsen.

9 - Michael Matt:

Kitzbühel specialist Michael Matt starts.

But he's missing more than a second.

8 - Giuliano Razzoli:

Now it's the turn of the first Italian.

Strong performance!

We have a new third party.

7 - Henrik Kristoffersen:

The snowfall seems to be affecting the drivers a lot here, visibility is difficult.

What does Henrik Kristoffersen make of it now?

He almost flies out at the top, he lacks the rhythm here!

1.6 seconds behind, the highly traded Norwegian is meanwhile last!

The first little surprise.

6 - Alexis Pinturault:

The next top driver: Alexis Pinturault!

What is the French showing here?

Compared to his strong last year, he is not as fast this season.

He is also missing eight tenths in Kitzbühel.

5 - Sebastian Foss-Solevaag: Here

comes one of the big favourites!

Sebastian Foss-Solevaag currently leads the slalom classification, but he is struggling here!

He gets in really well at the bottom, but in the end he's missing a hundredth of a second to lead!

Minimum residue.

4 - Marco Schwarz

: It's the turn of the first Austrian.

But he has a big deficit early on, third place.

3 - Loic Meillard:

The next Swiss: Loic Meillard!

What's in it for him?

Technically he is very clean on the road, but he lacks the speed!

Second place.

2 - Ramon Zenhousen:

The Swiss is nowhere near as fast as Noel.

1 - Clement Noel:

And Depart!

Frenchman Clement Noel is the first.

And he sets the first mark here with 50.67 seconds - decent run.

And now, of course, it's time to get down to business.

The big favorites will be there in the next few minutes, including Linus Straßer from Munich.

Update from January 22, 10:12 a.m .:

Linus Straßer, Loic Meillard, Alexis Pinturault, Henrik Kristoffersen or Sebastian Foss-Solevaag?

We are excited - let's go!

Update from January 22, 10:04 a.m .:

The tension is rising!

It starts in Kitzbühel in a good ten minutes.

It's snowing heavily in Austria - but that shouldn't particularly impress the slalom drivers.

"It's part of winter, and everyone is happy about it.

But the piste and slope look really good," says Linus Straßer in advance in the ARD interview.

Update from January 22, 9.34 a.m .:

Let's take a look at the start list: Frenchman Clement Noel will open the slalom, Linus Straßer will then start the race with start number 13.

The unlucky number as a lucky number?

There are 68 drivers in total today, including five more Germans: Anton Tremmel (40), David Ketterer (45), Julian Rauchfuss (52), Fabian Himmelsbach (53) and Alexander Schmid (56).

Update from January 22, 9:26 a.m .:

A ski ace will not be able to start today: Manuel Feller.

The Austrian tested positive for Corona in advance and will therefore miss the slalom.

This was announced by the organizers of the World Cup in Kitzbühel on Friday evening.

According to the Austrian Ski Association, Feller is now in officially ordered isolation.

The 2017 World Cup runner-up is one of the medal candidates in the technical disciplines for the Winter Games in Beijing* (from February 4).

Feller (29) was on the podium two weeks ago in Adelboden, Switzerland, finishing second in slalom and giant slalom.

There were also two third places this winter in the "giant".

Update from January 22nd, 8.55 a.m .:

In just over an hour it will be serious for Linus Straßer and Co.!

What's in it for Munich at the Kitzbühel slalom?

We are excited.

Originally, the second Streif downhill was to be held on this Kitzbühel Saturday, but the bad weather threw a spanner in the works for the organizers.

Therefore, the disciplines were swapped without further ado: The slalom scheduled for Sunday is moving to Saturday, the second downhill run will be held on Sunday instead.

But on Friday there was downhill action: Aleksander Aamodt Kilde won the first Streif.

Kitzbühel slalom today in the live ticker: German ski ace is one of the favorites

First report from January 22nd, 8.45 a.m .:

Kitzbühel – Linus Straßer does not worry.

"If it would help to be relaxed, I would try it," says the best German slalom driver before his "home race" in Kitzbühel, "but it usually helps more to be relaxed." So he stays calm - despite his most recent failure in Wengen and so shortly before the season's highlight, the Olympics.

The Winter Games in Beijing (from February 4th) are “relatively far away” for the Munich player.

Before that, he still has to do the Ganslernhang in Austria's skiing Mecca on Saturday and the "Night Race" in Schladming on Tuesday.

Straßer, a strong third in Adelboden two weeks ago, is in good spirits, and his threading on the Mannlichen in Wengen hasn't changed that.

Kitzbühel slalom in the live ticker today: chances for Linus Straßer?

"I feel very comfortable in the slalom," he says. While driving in Switzerland, he had the feeling "that nothing can happen to me." For his trainer Bernd Brunner, he was even "the fastest man on the mountain".

It is therefore important to continue in Kitz, where Straßer learned to ski.

The Ganslern, he says, is by nature "an extremely demanding slope with many transitions where it's not easy to be fast".

You have to “drive with your brain” at the transitions – and “put your foot down properly” in between.

This mixture "often makes it difficult, but certainly makes it appealing".

Linus Straßer hopes for a good slalom result in Kitzbühel

His battle plan?

"Keep the whole thing uncomplicated, Olympia like Kitzbühel," says the 29-year-old, "take my boots off, don't make it more than it is.

It's getting more and more hyped from the outside anyway."

How does he manage to stay with himself?

"The great art," he says, is not wanting to interfere with the system that has been honed in during training, "the mind is too slow for that".

Straßer wants to "trust himself" - and drive with brains.

The first run of the slalom will take place on Saturday at 10:15 a.m., followed by the second at 1:45 p.m.

We are in the live ticker.

If you would like to follow the race live on TV, we have put together all the information for you here.