We know what victory tastes like Katharina Liensberger. “She wants that taste again,” says ÖSV women’s head coach Roland Assinger. Hungry to win? “Yes, that’s me,” says Liensberger after her third place in the slalom at Semmering on Sunday. “Because it just feels good to be able to move in this sphere.”
Katharina Liensberger went through a lot here on the Viennese local mountain this weekend. In the end she was able to shine – almost like in the best of times. After a botched first run in the giant slalom on Saturday and a mixed first run in the slalom on Sunday, she took heart in the second slalom run and attacked fully: “It was at the limit, that’s exactly what I wanted,” she said afterwards in the finish area.
The key: trust in your own turns. The result: the 17th World Cup podium for the 27-year-old from Vorarlberg.
ÖSV: Strong in the second run
Winner Zrinka Ljutic Liensberger only lost four hundredths in the second round, Franziska Gritsch had the fourth best running time with +0.35. What’s the deal with these unleashed second runs by the ÖSV runners?
The answer lies in the head, knows head coach Assinger. “In competitive sports at the highest level, only the head decides,” he said after the slalom at Semmering. “They can ski. That’s why they often drive fast in the second run – because they just don’t care.”
Similarly analyzed too Julia Scheib her best running time on Saturday in the second giant slalom round. The Styrian said she only had one choice left – namely to go on the attack. Assinger pays tribute to the 26-year-old’s mental strength: “The fact that she has a bombshell second run – and on demand at that, shows self-confidence,” says the head coach. “We just have to make sure we can implement that in the first run,” he added.
Small successes
Everyone here knows that self-confidence comes with success ÖSV President Roswitha Stadlober: “You just need that feeling of exhilaration. Especially in the technical disciplines.”
For Franziska Gritsch, for example, it was important that the green time indicator flashed after her second run. “I worked a lot for this green,” says the Tyrolean, who trains in the private team. For Liensberger, the podium and her mostly good turns bring a feeling of exhilaration that she wants to take with her into the new year.
“The year ends beautifully with this third place,” sums up Roland Assinger after the last race of 2024. His wish for next year: “Victory.”