The speed successes were celebrated at the Stanglwirt in Going. “With the whole team, with athletes, coaches, coaches, friends, family and fan club. It was really cool and casual. We really stepped on the gas, ”said Mayer, who made 134,250 euros in prize money, more than anyone else in Kitzbühel.
The award ceremony after the departure, which was even more emotional than after his Super-G success three years ago, also left lasting impressions. “It’s amazing how many people there were. I am still stunned. I get goose bumps when I think about it. Incredible. We had a huge pleasure. “
Puelacher takes off his hat
Head coach Andreas Puelacher was not disappointed by his speed men. The Tyrolean was happy, as he had demanded and received strong performances in Kitzbühel. In any case, Puelacher was not surprised. “It had been announced,” he said, referring to the appealing seasonal performance. “The upward trend of past races has continued. The turnaround in the downhill is done. I really couldn’t have expected more for Kitzbühel. I would be happy to continue like this. “
Puelacher was particularly impressed by the fact that Mayer continued to advance in the supreme discipline after the Super-G. “Getting top performance twice is remarkable. The weekend was crazy from Mayer. Hats off to this gentleman, ”said Puelacher. Mayer had played out his routine fully. “He knew that the Streif suits him.” Although he had never been on the podium on this downhill. Mayer remained calm and focused. Technically demanding routes that require courage but also patience are just right for Mayer, according to Puelacher.
Now he is finally showing the consistency in his performance that was previously agreed upon. “He has matured.” According to Puelacher, the decisive factor for the downhill victory was that he had mastered the enormous pressure in the Super-G before that. “That was the decisive moment because everyone in Super-G had expected success from him.” He then drove freely on the downhill. Mayer was really looking forward to the departure and enjoyed it. He had proven in sixth and third place in training that he had the track under control.
Schröcksnadel’s words work
The departure was preceded by an intensive and apparently motivating conversation with Peter Schröcksnadel. How he spurred on the athletes was not revealed by Schröckssnadel. “But they liked it a lot,” said the ÖSV President. In any case, he had not scolded, there was no reason for this because of the appealing performance this season. He gave them positive energy on the patrol and courage. “It worked well,” he said happily. “They responded positively to what I told them. Because so far they had not quite achieved the services they could have done. They have the skills. “
“We should take the heart in our hands and step on the gas. And trust in our strength, ”said Schröcksnadel to them, said Kriechmayr, who was second on the podium for the first time behind Mayer in the downhill in Kitzbühel. “It was really motivating. He’s great at it, we should take him with him often. He accelerates the coaches and builds us up. It inspires us, ”explained the Upper Austrian. “And he supports us in everything when we need something. And you can talk to him super. Maybe he’ll be back in Garmisch. “
Concentrated on next tasks
Mayer gave the Ganslern slalom in the finish area on Sunday before he, like his teammates, focused on the next tasks. “We are in the middle of the season, next week Garmisch is on the program. The focus has to be there. It’s another difficult descent, ”said Mayer. Last but not least, it is again about valuable points for the Speed World Cup, in which the Austrians play a prominent role this time.
In the Downhill World Cup, Mayer is third with 300 points behind the Swiss Beat Feuz (480) and the injured Dominik Paris (384). However, the Italian contracted a cruciate ligament immediately before Kitzbühel in training and had to end the season early. Kriechmayr (254) is in fourth place. The Super G ranking leads Mayer 28 points ahead of Kriechmayr and the Norwegians Kjetil Jansrud and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who are ex aequo in second place.
Fight for the crystal balls
Mayer promised an exciting fight. “We are great at it, especially in the Super-G, of course, but also in the downhill.” The chances of getting the first ball in the supreme discipline since Klaus Kröll eight years ago have been significantly reduced. “Feuz drives too consistently and is too far ahead in terms of points. He will bring the lead home, ”said Mayer. He is more optimistic in the Super-G. “First, second, a great starting position. One of us will get the ball. “
As the third overall World Cup – 49 points behind leader Henrik Kristoffersen – Mayer will also start in giant slalom in Garmisch. He got 150 points in Wengen, 180 in Kitzbühel. “If he continues to score like this, the big ball will be an issue for Mayer,” said Puelacher. “It’s nice that he’s doing well, and I’m happy for him, even if others have an advantage. A prerequisite for the overall victory would be a stronger performance in the giant slalom.” He has to see that he gets better “Collect point by point, then we will see what ends up looking out in Cortina.”
By the way, every point is valuable for the Nations’ Cup, as it is a special concern of Schröcksnadel besides the descent. “We have caught up,” he said happily in Kitzbühel, whereby the individual ratings of men and women “didn’t matter”. “We want to win overall. We are now almost on a par with the Swiss, ”says Schröcksnadel, who looked well recovered from a gastrointestinal infection in the past week. The ski arch rivals are 81 points ahead after the Ganslern slalom.
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