Wir hatten letztes Jahr auch Rennen, wo nur die July abgeliefert hat. Man muss da schon aufpassen.
Astner and Liensberger, as well as Lisa Hörhager, will not be at the start in Sölden on Saturday due to injury.
"We're missing the midfield," complains coach Sprenger. "And the very young ones are still far away; it will also be difficult for them regarding their start numbers."
The ÖSV women's team is "not as strong as it appears. Last year, we also had races where only July delivered. You really have to be careful."
However, according to Sprenger, the restructuring of the training group, which now also includes speed specialist Nina Ortlieb, is already bearing fruit.
"In training, everyone is paying more attention to each other and learning from one another. Last year, they weren't paying attention to what Julia was doing; this year, they are, and Julia is being challenged," explains the giant slalom coach.
Scheib attests to the team having a "very good team spirit. I believe we are a model group. I can also learn something from one or two others. It's also in my interest that others advance further."
ÖSV Sölden Lineup
Women | Men |
|---|---|
Stephanie Brunner | Stefan Brennsteiner |
Natalie Falch | Lukas Feurstein |
Franziska Gritsch | Patrick Feurstein |
Ricarda Haaser | Raphael Haaser |
Victoria Olivier | Marco Schwarz |
Leonie Raich | Joshua Sturm |
Elena Riederer | Noel Zwischenbrugger |
Valentina Rings-Wanner | Jakob Eisner |
Julia Scheib |
Compact Men's Team
Among the men, too, a gap emerged behind Brennsteiner and Schwarz last winter. World Champion Haaser, who by the way is still waiting for his first World Cup giant slalom victory, was the third-best ÖSV athlete in the discipline standings in 18th place. Joshua Sturm (23rd) and Patrick Feurstein (24th) also appeared in the Top 30, while Lukas Feurstein was 31st.
Mitter nevertheless classifies the ÖSV men as a "quite compact team," which will also be joined by debutant Jakob Eisner in Sölden.
Wir haben vorne eine breite Dichte, wissen aber sehr wohl, dass wir hinten nach eine Lücke haben.
"They have established themselves in the last two years. We have good depth at the front, but we are well aware that we have a gap at the back. This needs to be closed in the next two years, as one or two key athletes are already of a certain age," explains ÖSV Men's Head Coach Marko Pfeifer.
Marco Schwarz attests to the current team having a "very good team cohesion. We trained excellently in preparation; I believe we don't need to hide from anyone."
Far from hiding, Raphael Haaser, Joshua Sturm, or Stephanie Brunner, among others, should instead move further into the spotlight. The ÖSV coaches believe all of them can take the next step in giant slalom, towards the absolute world elite.
The times when Austria's ski aces played only a supporting role at the World Cup opener in Sölden are thus (for now) over....
