Alpine skiing - Dreßen far behind in Val Gardena - Bennett wins
Ski racer Thomas Dreßen has had a disappointing start to the speed season. The 30-year-old only finished 41st in the downhill in Val Gardena/Gröden, with Romed Baumann in ninth place, the only German to make it into the top ten.
Surprisingly, the American Bryce Bennett secured victory. With bib number 34, he raced to his second World Cup success. He had already won on the famous Saslong in South Tyrol in 2021. The downhill dominator of recent years, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde from Norway, came second ahead of the Swiss overall World Cup winner Marco Odermatt.
Different slope to the training run
Due to all the fresh snow from the previous day, the slope was a little different than in training, explained Dreßen. "The basic speed is there, but I'm still lacking the necessary confidence in the technical aspects," said the winner of the legendary Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbühel in 2018. "You can't force it, it comes with skiing." After many winters full of health setbacks, he is not yet at 100 percent physically.
Dreßen's team-mate Josef Ferstl finished in 15th place, Andreas Sander only came 46th, Simon Jocher was eliminated and Luis Vogt did not start after a training crash.
It was the first men's speed event of the season. The race had been scheduled as a replacement for one of the Matterhorn downhill races that was canceled in mid-November. In view of the tight program that awaits the athletes in South Tyrol in the coming days, it was held on a slightly shorter course. A super-G is scheduled for Friday (11.45 am) in Val Gardena/Gröden.
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Thomas Dreßen acknowledged that the slope in Val Gardena/Gröden was different from their training run due to fresh snow, affecting his confidence in technical aspects. Despite finishing 41st, Dreßen, the champion of the legendary Hahnenkamm downhill in Kitzbühel in 2018, remains optimistic, as he believes improvement comes with skiing and is not yet at full strength physically.
In the same World Cup event, Italy's Romed Baumann placed 9th, marking a strong performance for the German team in alpine skiing's winter sports.
Bryce Bennett, an American skier, delivered an unexpected victory with bib number 34, repeating his success from the famous Saslong course in South Tyrol in 2021. The event in South Tyrol served as a replacement for a canceled Matterhorn downhill race and was held on a slightly shorter course due to the athletes' tight schedule.
The 2022-2023 FIS World Alpine Ski Championships, also known as the World Cup, will take place in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, marking the return of the World Cup events following their cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thomas Dreßen, Romed Baumann, and other international alpine skiing stars are all eager to compete in the World Cup and claim their share of the glory.
Source: www.stern.de
