Kriechmayr & Crawford score double victory on the Stelvio run

In one of the most challenging Downhill events in the World Cup, the Stelvio run in Bormio, the HEAD Worldcup Rebels once again showed their class: Vincent Kriechmayr won on Wednesday ahead of team-mate James Crawford. Lara Gut-Behrami missed victory in the Giant Slalom in Semmering on Wednesday by just one tenth of a second despite a serious mistake. The biggest surprise, however, came from Matthias Mayer. The Austrian athlete announced on Thursday that he is retiring from ski racing.

"Bormio saw two very special days of racing for us. As breathtaking as Matthias Mayer's announcement on Thursday that he is standing down, were also the results achieved by Vincent Kriechmayr and James Crawford on Wednesday," emphasised HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "While James Crawford's run was sensational, I haven't seen anything like the way Vincent Kriechmayr skied the Stelvio. This is all the more pleasing for us because we are now leading up to the classic events. In terms of the equipment, things are looking really good. The adjustments we made are bearing fruit. It's a pity that Lara Gut-Behrami missed the victory in Semmering by one tenth of a second. The mistake on the second run cost just a bit too much. But I'm very pleased that following her opening win in Killington she is still on a par with the leader in this race. Sara Hector was also very fast until she was thrown off course. She has shown that she is a major contender." Regarding Matthias Mayer's retirement, Rainer Salzgeber said: "Following Beat Feuz's plans to retire, this is now a very unusual situation for us. It's not just that we will be missing Matthias Mayer's performance and potential medals, we will also miss him as a key member of the group. I know he will have good reasons and will have thought it over carefully. I hope that he is as successful in life as he is in skiing - that he makes clear decisions and implements them accordingly. That's what made him so exceptional as an athlete."

First victory for Vincent Kriechmayr in Bormio

For Vincent Kriechmayr it was his 14th World Cup victory overall, the seventh in the Downhill. The Austrian athlete has stood on top of the podium once so far this year, in the Downhill in Val Gardena. "That was certainly my best effort on that run," is how Vincent Kriechmayr analysed his first victory in Bormio. "It's the toughest Downhill run of the season, and as a Downhill skier you really want to win it. You have to risk everything from top to bottom, and I did exactly that. You have to ski completely at the limit without making any mistakes - and I totally nailed it."

Best result in the Downhill for James Crawford

James Crawford bagged a double victory for the HEAD Worldcup Rebels with his second place. The Canadian was four tenths of a second behind Kriechmayr at the finish. For the 25-year-old it was the third podium finish in the World Cup and his best result in a Downhill event so far. All three of Crawford's top-3 rankings were in 2022. Ryan Cochran-Siegle from the USA finished fifth. Justin Murisier was also pleased with his seventh place. The Swiss athlete started with bib number 40 and raced to his best Downhill result. So far, he has only bagged points twice in this discipline - with a 26th and a 30th place. Eighth place went to Gilles Roulin from Switzerland and 14th place to Adrien Theaux from France.

Vincent Kriechmayr on the podium again in the Super-G

The HEAD athletes also confirmed their strong form in the Super-G on Thursday in Bormio. Vincent Kriechmayr again landed on the podium, this time in second place. And with Alexis Pinturault from France finishing fifth, James Crawford sixth, Stefan Babinsky from Austria ninth, and Justin Murisier and Ryan Cochran-Siegle both 13th, there were five more HEAD Worldcup Rebels in the top 15.

Lara Gut-Behrami so close to victory

Lara Gut-Behrami had bad luck on the second Giant Slalom run in Semmering on Wednesday. The Swiss athlete skied a brilliant first run and went into run two as the leader. Despite a serious mistake on the second run, the 31-year-old still managed to finish second - missing victory by just one tenth of a second. The two Norwegian athletes Maria Therese Tviberg and Ragnhild Mowinckel finished in eleventh and twelfth place, while Wendy Holdener from Switzerland was 15th. In the first Giant Slalom on Tuesday, Ragnhild Mowinckel finished sixth, Lara Gut-Behrami seventh, Sara Hector from Sweden was eighth and Coralie Frasse-Sombet from France eleventh.

Lena Dürr finishes third in the Slalom in Semmering

In the closing Slalom event in Semmering on Thursday, Lena Dürr finished in third place, her first podium finish this season. The German athlete started the second run in fourth place. The final standings saw Wendy Holdener finish fifth and Anna Swenn-Larsson from Sweden sixth. Sara Hector was eleventh. Franziska Gritsch from Austria moved up from 23rd to 14th place with the fastest time on the second run.