The Austrian artificial track sledders once again exceeded their expectations at the World Toboggan Run. After five pieces of precious metal in 2019, the team of sports director Rene Friedl in Sochi held three medals before the final competition. On Sunday, Jonas Müller and Wolfgang Kindl won silver and bronze in the men’s one-seater competition. Halftime leader David Gleischer fell.
Before the title fights on the Olympic track in 2014, the ÖRV leadership had to reduce hopes. Because the domestic number 1 duo in the two-seater, Thomas Steu and Lorenz Koller, had dropped out due to a broken leg. The Vorarlberg and Tyrolean had recently contributed to three medals (double seater, sprint and team).
The only 22-year-old Vorarlberger Müller experienced another high point after the Sprint World Championship title last year and once again proved to be a type of competition. With best time in the second run in the demanding ice channel, the Bludenzer raced from fourth place to the podium, only 32 thousandths separated him from the Russian world champion Roman Repilow. “This medal means a lot to me, especially here in Sochi,” said Müller on ORF television.
The U23 world champion also emphasized the good work of the technicians and supervisors. “The fact that there are two of us at the top is proof that we are extremely strong. Austria has done a lot right in recent years.”
Wolfgang Kindl, the double world champion at Igls 2017, won his fifth World Cup medal despite injuries. “I couldn’t really attack the bar because my finger hurt so much,” said the 31-year-old, who made it onto the podium after finishing sixth. He is handicapped because of a bone marrow edema and a hairline crack in the spoke, so the joy was all the greater. “From my previous history, the medal was very surprising,” he said. Even in view of the course of the race, he “didn’t expect it until the end”.
The track demands everything from the athletes, said the Tyrolean. “Joy and sorrow are close together, David will certainly come back again,” said Kindl in the direction of his room colleague who had dropped out due to a fall. He also overtook the German Johannes Ludwig (4./+0.226) and the Russian Aleksandr Gorbatcewitsch (6.) in the final.
Olympic champion Gleirscher was the tragic hero of the day. After a track record (51.466 seconds) after the first run in front of the Russian Roman Repilow in the lead, he gave the chance to win another gold medal after that in Pyeongchang 2018 and to crown the season. “It happened very quickly. I was too early on turn ten and suddenly I was on my side,” said the Tyrolean, who had clinched his first World Cup victory this season. “But it’s casual that we took two medals.”
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