Triple and double victories for HEAD in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee

Cornelia Hütter, Kajsa Vickhoff Lie and Lara Gut-Behrami own the whole podium - the HEAD Worldcup Rebels race into the weekend on Friday with a brilliant triple victory in the Super-G in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee. And they leave on Sunday following an equally impressive double victory by Lara Gut-Behrami and Cornelia Hütter in the second Super-G event. Cornelia Hütter has now taken over the red jersey in the Super-G discipline. In the Downhill event on Saturday Stephanie Venier finishes second to just miss out on her second World Cup victory. Atle Lie McGrath also finishes second in the Slalom in Wengen on Sunday.

"The women team’s performance needs no explanation. They took six out of a possible nine podium places at the weekend, and that's awesome. Fourth place for Ragnhild Mowinckel was also a strong sign. Stephanie Venier racing to the podium in the Downhill for the first time in a while was also especially cool. Being able to dominate these events in Austria makes it all the better," explains HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "Atle Lie McGrath skied a perfect race. From a technical skill standpoint, it was the very highest level. The equipment worked very well too. Albert Popov dropping out was a shame because he was really fast. Johannes Strolz, who finished in 15th place, has demonstrated he is aiming to move up. He is skiing consistently, and has finished three races in a row, which is building his confidence. In the speed disciplines, it was disappointing that we didn't reach the podium. Justin Murisier's mistake in the Super-G cost him a podium finish. The race worked out well, however, as far as the team was concerned. The Downhill on Saturday produced very unexpected conditions following Aleksander Kilde's accident. It was a particularly difficult situation for the athletes who started after the interruption to the race. Another shock was Alexis Pinturault's injury, which unfortunately means he won't be able to compete for the rest of the season. For him, this is a week to remember, having just celebrated the birth of his daughter. As so often in life, you have to get on with it, and we wish him a swift recovery."

World Cup victory No. 5 for Cornelia Hütter

When the three HEAD athletes took to the podium on Friday in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee, the winner Cornelia Hütter was nine hundredths of a second ahead of Kajsa Vickhoff Lie, and twelve hundredths of a second ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami. For Cornelia Hütter it was her fifth World Cup victory, and her fourth in the Super-G. "The skis ran really well. That was a really high level today. There were many factors that came together: the upward trend, the consistent speed, the whole strategy; things are going in a very cool direction," is how Cornelia Hütter analysed her performance at the finish. "We're in Austria, so it's okay if an Austrian wins. Everyone is contented and happy," said a delighted Kajsa Vickhoff Lie about her HEAD colleague's victory. "It was an exciting Super-G course, and I had a good run. The top section felt good, but I could have skied better at the bottom. On the whole, I'm very pleased with the result," said Lara Gut-Behrami. Four more HEAD Worldcup Rebels made it into the top 15: the two Austrian athletes Ariane Rädler and Stephanie Venier in sixth and eighth place respectively, Corinne Suter from Switzerland in 13th place and Ragnhild Mowinckel from Norway who finished in 15th place.

"I feel confident on these skis"

The run of success continued in the Downhill event on Saturday. Stephanie Venier finished in second place, missing a second World Cup victory by just one tenth of a second. However, the Austrian athlete bagged her first podium of the season, and her first in the Downhill since February 2020 in Crans Montana. "I've had a difficult time recently, but this year I'm back on track. I feel confident on these skis and am having a great time. My plan today was to enjoy the skiing and do the best I can. And I managed that very well," said Stephanie Venier. Sixth place went to Lara Gut-Behrami, seventh place to Ariane Rädler, ninth place to Laura Gauche from France and 13th place to Laura Pirovano from Italy.

Lara Gut-Behrami's 40th World Cup victory

On Sunday, the HEAD women's team delivered another fantastic result in the second Super-G in Altenmarkt-Zauchensee with a double victory by Lara Gut-Behrami and Cornelia Hütter. This saw Lara Gut-Behrami celebrate her 40th World Cup victory, her 20th in the Super-G. As a result of her first and second places, Cornelia Hütter has taken over the red jersey in the Super-G with 310 points, ahead of Lara Gut-Behrami, who has now notched up 220 points. "I skied the whole slope from top to bottom as fast as I could, always looking to accelerate and not be cautious. I'm very pleased that I skied the way I wanted today. It's great to win here again after 13 years," Lara Gut-Behrami said. Cornelia Hütter was also pleased with her performance: "Today I was on the attack again, and let the skis run whenever I could. The skis have been excellent again, but I suspected I made too many mistakes. It's cool to stand at the start knowing that everything is going to work further down the slope, and then really put the skis under pressure." Ragnhild Mowinckel finished fourth, missing the podium by just eight hundredths of a second. Laura Gauche finished in seventh place, Corinne Suter was 13th, Kajsa Vickhoff Lie 14th and Franziska Gritsch from Austria was 15th.

Atle Lie McGrath second again in the Slalom

On Sunday, Atle Lie McGrath again confirmed his top form in the Slalom. The Norwegian athlete finished second, just like a week earlier in Adelboden. In Wengen, he missed victory by just one tenth of a second, having clocked the fastest time on the first run. "I'm very happy, it was so close again, but that's really cool. It was incredibly difficult for me to focus because of Aleksander Aamodt Kilde's accident, but it worked out pretty well," said a relieved Atle Lie McGrath at the finish. Johannes Strolz from Austria finished the race in 15th place.

Vincent Kriechmayr is the fastest HEAD athlete

In the classic Lauberhorn Downhill race on Saturday in Wengen, Vincent Kriechmayr from Austria finished fifth as the best HEAD Worldcup Rebel. Adrien Theaux from France finished just behind him in sixth place. Ryan Cochran-Siegle from the USA finished ninth, and Franjo von Allmen from Switzerland was 14th.

Best World Cup result for Guglielmo Bosca

The men's Super-G on Friday in Wengen was overshadowed by Alexis Pinturault's serious fall. The French athlete sustained a torn cruciate ligament, which unfortunately makes it the end of the season for him. Guglielmo Bosca, however, was delighted to celebrate his best World Cup result so far in fifth place. The Italian athlete's best results so far have been ninth places in the Super-G and Downhill. Stefan Babinsky from Austria finished sixth, Justin Murisier from Switzerland was in seventh place, Vincent Kriechmayr was eleventh, James Crawford from Canada was 13th and Lukas Feurstein finished in 15th place.

Alexis Pinturault in the top ten in the Downhill

In the first Downhill race on the Lauberhorn run on Thursday, Ryan Cochran-Siegle was the best HEAD athlete in sixth place. Alexis Pinturault, in his first race since his daughter Olympe was born, finished an impressive ninth; his best result so far in this discipline. Previously, his personal best was 16th place in the Downhill in Schladming in 2012. Four more HEAD World Cup Rebels finished in the top 15 with Justin Murisier in tenth place, Vincent Kriechmayr 13th, Franjo von Allmen 14th, and Stefan Babinsky finishing in 15th place.