Wengen Jan. 15 (BUS): It’s never easy for Switzerland to watch an Austrian skier win the iconic ski race that’s part of the alpine nation’s culture, according to a report from the Associated Press.
It was even more difficult on Saturday as Vincent Krechmeier won the Lauberhorn classic which Swiss team officials said this week should not have been allowed to start.
Kriechmayr’s sun-soaked World Cup victory on a slope beside the Eiger came despite the absence of the midweek training sessions that are usually mandatory at the ski event. He was placed in quarantine in Austria after testing positive for COVID-19.
He had arrived in Wengen late on Wednesday, after the two practice runs, but was acquitted by race officials who insisted Kriechmayr – downhill world champion – had not received special treatment under FIS rules.
In another development, Kirchmayer’s victory denied favorite Swiss Fuse’s a record fourth win in the famous race that has been one of the World Cup matches since the circuit began 55 years ago. The Lauberhorn race was first conducted in 1930.
The Austrian winner finished 0.34 seconds ahead of runner-up Fuse, in the longest race on the World Cup circuit he won three years ago. The key to victory this time was a flawless run through the slow, twisting midsection of the tiring 4.27 km (2 2/3 miles) trail.
Kirchmayer’s winning time of just 2 minutes, 26 seconds was 0.44 faster than third-placed Dominique Paris of Italy, who now leads the standings on the slopes all season.
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