The Swiss speed high-flyers don't get up to speed in the second training session for the downhill on the Streif and lose a lot of time. According to Norwegian skiing legend Aksel Lund Svindal, however, this is no cause for concern.
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- In the second downhill training in Kitzbühel, Alexis Monney is the best Swiss in 10th place. Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen, who recently celebrated a double victory on the Lauberhorn, lose a lot of time.
- Odermatt admits after training that he has not yet found the solution for the decisive passages. Von Allmen, on the other hand, explains how his moment of shock came about.
- For the Norwegian skiing legend, however, the training performance does not change his role as favorite for Saturday's race: "The Swiss will be strong."
The Swiss downhill skiers are currently unstoppable. At the Lauberhorn last Saturday, Marco Odermatt and Franjo von Allmen achieved their fourth double victory in the fourth race in the supreme discipline. No wonder all eyes are on Odermatt and Co. ahead of the legendary Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbühel.
In the second training session on Wednesday, however, the serial winners did not get up to speed. The best Swiss skier is Alexis Monney in 10th place, while Odermatt struggles in the key sections of the Streif, even missing a gate and losing over two seconds. Franjo von Allmen survives a moment of shock, but loses over three seconds by the finish.
Putting the puzzle together
"Unfortunately, I couldn't quite release the pressure over the Hausbergkante. So it was a long jump and a late approach to the turn. Then I crossed my skis and had a moment of shock. But it's all good," von Allmen gives the all-clear at the finish on ORF and looks ahead: "It's all about putting the puzzle back together for the race. I'm trying to take the two good pieces with me. Then hopefully it will work out."
Odermatt says about his run: "I haven't quite found the solution yet. Too many small mistakes today, especially in the decisive passages such as the steep slope exit and the traverse at the bottom." However, this is no cause for concern for the man from Nidwalden: "I know that I can ski very fast here. I've been on course for the podium every year. Victory is still missing."
Svindal: "The Swiss will be strong"
But if Norwegian skiing legend Aksel Lund Svindal has his way, Odermatt's first Streif triumph is only a matter of time. "Odermatt wasn't that fast now, but he's a 'racehorse'. He steps on the gas even more in the race," Svindal tells ORF after the second training session.
Because the two-time Olympic champion was denied a downhill victory in Kitzbühel during his active career, he can empathize with the Swiss World Cup dominator. "Odermatt has won so many things. I think he's still sleeping pretty well," says Svindal. "The cool thing about Odermatt is that he's won so much, but he's still pretty young. He still has a lot of potential. I bet he'll win Kitzbühel. If not this year, then next year or the year after."
And if not Odermatt, then Swiss Ski currently has other proven trump cards in its own ranks with von Allmen, Monney, Murisier and Rogentin. For Svindal, one thing is clear ahead of this year's classic: "The favorites are the Swiss."
