Bryce Bennett, Dominik Paris, Cyprien Sarrazin and Marco Odermatt are the winners of the seven World Cup downhill runs this winter: an American, an Italian, a Frenchman and a Swiss. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, Cameron Alexander and Florian Schieder also landed on the podium – a Norwegian, a Canadian and another Italian. But not a single Austrian.
“Of course that’s not good,” says Marko Pfeifer, head coach of the Austrian Ski Association (ÖSV), in an interview with the FAZ. The results in the downhill represent a matter of prestige for “the great skiing nation of Austria”. Just like in other countries Football results. And the Austrian downhill skiers have never been as bad as they were this winter since the World Cup was introduced in 1967.
“The DNA in Austria is skiing,” says Pfeifer, but the 50-year-old has to acknowledge that times have changed: “The ski clubs are becoming fewer. There are fewer children.” Both have to do with demographic change. But above all, “the village lifts are becoming fewer” – and that has to do with climate change. It’s no longer the case that the lifts in small communities are in operation all winter long – and talent naturally grows. Anyone who takes up skiing today has to go a long way from a young age – and needs parents who are prepared to invest a lot of time and money. “We are already struggling with the fact that we have to advertise a lot for future racers,” says Pfeifer: “And we have to take a lot of care of them.”
Racing director Marko Pfeifer: “The DNA in Austria is skiing” : Image: dpa
Because of the context of society as a whole, he does not want to pin the current lack of success at the top on individual coaches. “Of course you always question everything? Where did you do something wrong? Do we need new incentives?” But in his opinion it is “valuable if trainers accompany the skiers for a long time, even if things don’t go well for a year.” These experiences can be used to build again the following winter.
There has currently been a four-week downhill break since the World Cup weekend in Kitzbühel – with the chance of an intensive training phase before the restart on Saturday in Kvitfjell. The problem is that the Austrians generally only have one potential winning driver in their ranks: Vincenz Kriechmayr. But the 32-year-old is also “struggling a bit with his form on the descent this year,” as Pfeifer puts it.
Kriechmayr, 2021 downhill world champion, has so far taken two fifth places, one sixth place and one seventh place. Good results, but nothing that inspires red-white-red cheers. Nothing comes behind him for a long time – apart from the 27-year-old Stefan Babinsky, who surprised in fourth place in Kitzbühel, but has already fallen to 31st, 32nd and 43rd place this season.
Marco Schwarz, 28, was considered a candidate for the overall World Cup this winter. But Schwarz tore a cruciate ligament in Bormio. “This loss would be difficult for any nation to cope with,” said the head coach: “In terms of speed, he was well on his way to being among the world‘s best.” In the pre-winter, Daniel Hemetsberger, 32, was also at the forefront. “But his knees are fucked up,” as Pfeifer put it heartily: “He struggles, he’s not fit – and then you’re not competitive.”
The end of Marco Schwarz’s ambitions this season: Departure by helicopter from Bormio: Image: AP
The low point was reached when the Austrians were only able to field four downhill skiers at the World Cup in Wengen in mid-January – even the Germans, who had been chronically unsuccessful this winter, were at the start with a numerically stronger squad. Pfeifer explains the staff shortage by saying that a European Cup home race was taking place in Saalbach at the same time. For “strategic reasons” the young drivers had to take part. And even in Austria they no longer have enough for two competitions.
Achim Dreis, Kitzbühel Published/Updated: Recommendations: 5 A comment from Timo Frasch Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 82 Achim Dreis, Wengen Published/Updated: Recommendations: 10
“It’s always a phase like that,” said Pfeifer about the lack of young talent: “We had a lot of top athletes for a long time, which meant that the places in the World Cup were closed.” Then there is a change – “and you don’t always have people who jump right in.” However, when you look at the result lists, you notice that the people who “hit the spot” have been missing for a long time. Since 2017, there have only been two Austrians besides Kriechmayr who have won a downhill race: Max Franz and Matthias Mayer. But both are no longer to be expected.
Franz suffered several broken bones in both legs in November 2022. It is questionable whether the 34-year-old will come back again. And Mayer announced his resignation in December 2022, completely unexpectedly. Most recently, he was taken away by the police on the sidelines of the Hahnenkamm Race in Kitzbühel, which he won in 2020, after he had rioted at a party while very drunk. Mayer had been suffering from psychological problems for a long time, as it only became known afterwards. The pressure on the Austrian downhill skiers to perform was not conducive to his recovery.