This year Henrik Kristoffersen laughed for the first time at the slalom throne in Kitzbühel. The Norwegian won his first win of the season on Sunday at Ganslern and thus prevented him from reaching 54th place. Today it’s a really good feeling today,”he says. I’m very satisfied,”emphasized the 23-year-old, who is Hirscher’s toughest rival in the overall World Cup.
“There are still a lot of chances. All I have to do is continue skiing,”Kristoffersen said on Friday at an event organized by his equipment supplier Rossignol. One and a half days later he took the proof and distanced Hirscher at the end by a superior 0.97 seconds.
“I’ve been on the podium every time in seven slalom races, but I didn’t win before today. Now I’ve done it,”said the double Kitz winner. At the limit, his performance in the first round was not quite complete, he said,”It was a good run. I was at the limit at the entrance to the first escarpment, after the first split time, and then back down again.”
He always enjoys winning in Austria,”I really love Austria. It’s so cool to race in Austria,”said the Austrian resident in Salzburg. In addition to the Kitzbühel victories of 2016 and 2018, he also won the Night Race in Schladming in 2014,2016 and 2017, where the Men’s World Cup will again be taking place in the coming days. There he could catch up to record winner Benjamin Raich with a fourth success.
Hirscher said,”I’ve certainly been able to get the maximum for myself,”said the six-time overall World Cup winner:”It was a difficult race today, not an easy day. Henrik was really lonely today. He earned the victory today.”
In the final, the Salzburg rider moved from third to second place,”I’m absolutely satisfied with the second run – that was good skiing. The first run was definitely not what I expected:” On soft, wet snow Hirscher with starting number two didn’t get along as well as Kristoffersen and Michael Matt, who started behind him.
The 28-year-old had compassion for Matt, who dropped out in the second round and was second in the first half,”You don’t want to see such an ephemeral mistake happening. It’s humble when you’re forced to stop on such a good ride, such a good performance, such a good form that he’s in at the moment.”
A big compliment to Kristoffersen and Hirscher was expressed by the third-placed Daniel Yule, who was on the podium for the first time:”I think today I was the first person behind the aliens Marcel and Henrik. The way they are slalom driving at the moment is simply unbelievable, so this third place is like a victory,”explained the 24-year-old Swiss.
Matt wanted to sneak out of the finish area after his mistake:”I’d love to see a hole open up there that you could sink into,”the Tyrolean told me after he had “lost his way in a classic way”:”This sort of thing happens to all of us, but of course it’s catastrophic in the race. I have to make sure I digest it and then accelerate again.