While James Crawford still sees room for improvement after his best time in training, the Saslong, which is a little slower than in previous years, is generally well received by the racers. We have collected the comments of some of the protagonists.

James Crawford (CAN | 1st place): “I skied quite well today and this gives me confidence. My run was solid, even though I can still improve a lot before the race. I like the track, I always enjoy coming here. The jumps are much better tuned this year than last year, overall the conditions are really very good. There are a few bigger bumps, but the speed is not high, which makes it even more interesting for me.”

Stefan Rogentin (SUI | 3rd place): “I had a really good training run. But it's very difficult to evaluate a training run because you don't really know what equipment the competition used or what percentage of their potential the top riders actually gave. In any case, it went well for me today and I'm satisfied. The track is cool, especially in the second section, you spend a lot of time in the air. Today we had a bit more speed compared to yesterday. However, I jumped too far on Ciaslat both today and yesterday. I'm not putting any pressure on myself for Saturday's race. I just want to perform to the best of my ability.”

Simon Jocher (GER | 4th place): “The track has improved since yesterday. Yesterday it was very soft, which isn't really my thing. I made a few trips here and there, which cost me quite a bit of time. That's why I'm all the more pleased that it worked better today and I got a good feeling for the weekend. Now I'm ready for the races. The World Cup is really top-notch here in Val Gardena/Gröden – the backdrop with the Sassolungo/Langkofel mountain and the whole organization are wonderful.”

Cyprien Sarrazin (FRA | 5th place): “I like this track and enjoy coming here every time. The jumps are great and the snow is not as icy as at other races, I like that. My training sessions were okay, although there are still a few things I need to work on for the weekend. Last year, the jumps were much further, which is not necessarily good for the knees. This year is better because the track is not so fast and we land in the right places.”

Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT | 17th place): “The track is in great condition. Of course, it's a bit more compact than usual, but that's mainly due to the warm temperatures. A little snow is expected over the next few days, which could change the conditions again. I can't wait for the races to finally start. I like the track here and, as usual in Italy, the food is also good. So basically, nothing can stop me (laughs)."