- Scheib's DNF
Austria's best giant slalom skier and last season's dominator crashed out early in the 1st run. She would probably have been on track for the halfway lead.
Of course, that's "what if" speculation, but: if Scheib completes two normal runs, she could at least reach the podium or even win. In Sölden, just before her exit at the second intermediate time, she was 0.88 seconds ahead of halfway leader Mikaela Shiffrin.
- The Gap Behind Scheib
It's nothing new that there's a gap in the ÖSV GS team behind Scheib. Last season, the second-best Austrian in the GS World Cup was Stephanie Brunner in 17th place. Also in the Top 30: Nina Astner (24th) and Katharina Liensberger (28th). Franziska Gritsch was 32nd.
Brunner once again failed to demonstrate her strong training performances in the race, according to the coaches.
"Perhaps Stephi simply wants too much in the race, doing that 'little bit extra.' That's why it always pushes her out a bit at the end of the turn, and then she doesn't get the outside ski on the snow at the start of the turn, and consequently no power on the ski," analyzes head coach Zöchling.
With Franziska Gritsch in ninth place, at least another more experienced athlete upheld Austria's colors – and that, despite her training with a private team.
"I know her relatively well. We are Austrians, and we are happy for Franzi. She chose this path two years ago, but that is her right," says Zöchling, who had Gritsch under his wing as a group coach in the ÖSV in the past.
- The Middle Tier is Missing
The middle tier is currently missing from the ÖSV team. Nina Astner, who certainly has the potential to finish in the Top 15, and Lisa Hörhager were out due to injury in Sölden, as was Katharina Liensberger, who did not start.
Ricarda Haaser has to fight her way back after her injury, a difficult endeavor with a high bib number.
Zöchling explains: "You can certainly build on that; it wasn't easy with bib number 65, but she at least tried and was on a solid path for two-thirds of the steep section."
- The Youngsters Aren't Ready Yet
Speaking of high bib numbers: The younger ÖSV athletes also stood no chance on the challenging slope in Sölden with these numbers.
Victoria Olivier (49th), Elena Riederer (55th), Valentina Rings-Wanner (57th), Leonie Raich (60th), and Natalie Falch (61st) clearly missed the second run.
ÖSV GS coach Martin Sprenger said beforehand: "The really young ones simply aren't ready yet."
Zöchling adds after the race: "These are Europa Cup athletes; the goal was for them to see where they stand. I had the feeling that they were hesitant and not active enough, which is why they made errors that cost them time."
