Podiums for Lara Gut-Behrami, Ragnhild Mowinckel & Sara Hector
Three of the six podiums in the two Giant Slaloms in Kronplatz went to the HEAD Worldcup Rebels: Lara Gut-Behrami finished second on Tuesday, and on Wednesday Ragnhild Mowinckel and Sara Hector finished in second and third place.
"Even though it wasn't enough for the win, our team performance in Kronplatz was brilliant with half of the podium places. The younger athletes also achieved good results," said HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "For Sara Hector, this podium was very important. She felt on Tuesday that she was getting back into the flow, so that it turns out easily when she just lets it happen. Especially before the World Championships, this was very important for her. Ragnhild Mowinckel bagged an almost perfect haul in the past few days with her victory in Cortina and second place in Kronplatz. The way she has improved her form in the Giant Slalom is impressive. She really skis well."
Fourth podium in the Giant Slalom for Lara Gut-Behrami
Victory in Killington, second in Semmering, third in Kranjska Gora and now second in Kronplatz. Lara Gut-Behrami shows in style this season that she is always one of the contenders for victory in the Giant Slalom. The Giant Slalom World Champion was in second place after the first run on Tuesday in Kronplatz. With the third-fastest time on the second run, the 31-year-old managed to secure second place overall. "I'm very satisfied with my performance. It's a long month and I've hardly done any Giant Slalom turns in the last three weeks. The fact that it worked out this way makes me proud. The snow was grippy and made the run easy to ski today," said the Swiss athlete at the finish.
Second best result of the season for Elisabeth Kappaurer
Sara Hector finished in sixth place on Tuesday. The Swedish athletes was twelfth after the first run, then moved up six places with second-fastest time on run two. Ragnhild Mowinckel from Norway was eleventh and Estelle Alphand from Sweden finished 13th. Elisabeth Kappaurer from Austria started the race with bib number 40 and finished 15th; her second best result of the season.
Ragnhild Mowinckel's first Giant Slalom podium
In the second race on Wednesday, Ragnhild Mowinckel and Sara Hector were beaming at the finish line. After her victory in the Super-G at the weekend in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Ragnhild Mowinckel bagged her first Giant Slalom podium this season in second place, her first podium in this discipline since February 2019 in Maribor. "It is incredible that I'm on the podium. Giant Slalom has been a bit difficult so far this year. It's the big picture that works now - the ski, the set-up. Everything fits," the Norwegian athlete was pleased to say. Sara Hector was equally happy about third place, her first podium in 2023. "I am so happy to be back on the podium again. I've been struggling with confidence the last few weeks. Today was really fun, it was cool," said the Swedish athlete. Lara Gut-Behrami completed the great HEAD team result with fifth place and the fastest time on the second run. Hilma Lövblom attracted attention finishing in 13th place. For the 22-year-old Swedish athlete, a 29th place in the 2021 Giant Slalom in Courchevel was previously the best result in her career.
Atle Lie McGrath sixth in the Night Race
The men competed in two night events in Schladming on Tuesday and Wednesday. In Tuesday's Slalom, Atle Lie McGrath was the best HEAD Worldcup Rebel in sixth place. After the first run the Norwegian athlete was in 13th place. Alexis Pinturault from France finished in seventh place in the Giant Slalom on Wednesday. Alexander Schmid from Germany was ninth.
