Alpine skiing: ÖSV ladies and their “misery at home”

Even without the injured superstars Mikaela Shiffrin from the USA and the Slovakian Petra Vlhova, the Austrians will start the race as outsiders in the 2024 sweepstakes at home on the “Magic Mountain”. A red-white-red victory would probably fall into the category of sensation. It would be the first at the Christmas Austrian races since Marlies Raich, back then as Marlies Schild, triumphed in Lienz in 2013. The last home win at Semmering was a long time ago. In 2012, Anna Fenninger, now Veith, took the crown in the giant slalom.

With five wins in the 13 Semmering giant slalom races so far, the ÖSV’s record is not bad, especially in this discipline, even if only two names have been found in the winners’ lists on the slopes between Styria and Lower Austria in the recent past. US star Shiffrin won four times and Vlhova once – both of whom are now missing injured, much to the chagrin of the organizers. So there will be a premiere winner. The two previous giant slalom races in Sölden and Killington went to the Italian Federica Brignone and the Olympic champion Sara Hector from Sweden, respectively.

For Scheib, only the top three count

The hopes for a top place in the 14th giant slalom on Semmering rest primarily on Scheib. With her third place in Sölden, the Styrian ensured an optimal start to the season in the ÖSV problem discipline. Scheib, who was eliminated in the following Killington race, is now looking for her next success in front of her home crowd. “After the podium, the goal is clearly to get back on the podium. I will always be happy with a top-five result because the density is simply very high,” said the 26-year-old before her last race in 2024.

However, her immediate preparation was marked by flu-like symptoms. “Christmas was a ‘blackout’. I actually laid in bed a lot, but tomorrow with the adrenaline it should be fine. Two runs are always possible.” On the now slightly modified Hirschenkogel, the 26-year-old still has zero points in three races. “Two years ago I came back from an injury and that was one of the biggest challenges for me so far,” said Scheib. On Saturday “things will look different.”

In addition to Scheib, Stephanie Brunner, Ricarda Haaser and Liensberger, who is rated more strongly for the slalom on Sunday, should also show for red-white-red. The Vorarlberg native remembered her second place in the 2020 slalom, which was marked by the coronavirus pandemic. “There were no spectators, but for me Semmering was a decisive race where I felt that I could be among the fastest. That’s what I have in mind too.” The Vorarlberg native announced that she would push herself to the limit this weekend. “Semmering is a slope that immediately invites you to attack.”

Head coach convinced of improvement

In any case, head coach Roland Assinger sent his protégés into the race to escape to the front. “I’m in good spirits, we dealt with Killington’s blows well.” On the icy surface in the USA, the team, with the exception of Haaser (8th), had made a mistake with the material. “We have now found ways so that we know what we have to wear in the future,” said Assinger. For the Semmering-RTL, however, a compact, grippy slope is expected. Assinger sees the potential for a podium finish in giant slalom. “But like in Sölden, everything has to come together.”

With regard to the squad for the World Championships in Saalbach, at least in the giant slalom, the quartet with Scheib, Brunner, Haaser and Liensberger could already be determined after the race on the Semmering. Because so far no one has seriously shaken this line-up. In any case, Franziska Gritsch and Katharina Huber mastered the internal qualification on Friday and, together with the young Victoria Olivier and Viktoria Bürgler, complete the squad on the “Magic Mountain”. Elisabeth Kappaurer and Katharina Rumpf only have the role of spectators.