“Everyone did a great job”
At the last team captains' meeting in Selva/Wolkenstein, the entire team led by FIS Race Director Markus Waldner, looked back with satisfaction on a “challenging” super-G. The condition of the Saslong should improve considerably by Saturday's downhill.
Right at the beginning of the meeting, the President of the Saslong Classic Club, Rainer Senoner, expressed his thanks to everyone involved in the Val Gardena/Gröden race week: “I would like to thank the race jury, the coaches and the entire organizing committee. After the snowfalls, it was anything but easy today. Our team on the race track has been working with the snowcats since 2:30 a.m., and the course workers started clearing the snow from the course at 5:30 a.m. All the helpers have done a great job to ensure that we could hold a good race.”
Technical Delegate Heinz Kabusch agreed with Senoner and praised the OC team for their outstanding work. “From the course to the jury and the race office, everything is in place in Val Gardena/Gröden – we have seen this once again over the past few days,” emphasized Kabusch.
FIS Race Director Markus Waldner spoke of a “long night followed by a demanding day. When it snows, it's never easy. The slope was certainly not perfect, but we all did our best. The coaches and athletes were positive despite the challenging conditions.
That's exactly what we expect of ourselves if we want to deliver in these conditions.” Senoner, Kabusch and Waldner sent their best wishes to the Austrian Daniel Danklmayer, who crashed on the course. It was a fact that you had to push yourself to the limit in these conditions, said Waldner, adding: “Unfortunately, there is always the possibility of a crash. I hope Daniel is not too badly hurt and wish him all the best.”
The conditions for Saturday's downhill are promising for Waldner: “It's forecast to be a cold, windless night. This helps us in preparing the course. The team on the course are working hard, which is why we expect the Saslong to be in good condition.”
The downhill classic on the Saslong starts at 11:45 am.
