Will Johannes Strolz reach for the next sensation after the gold medal in the combination? After the first round, the Vorarlberger leads ahead of the Norwegians Henrik Kristoffersen (+0.02) and Sebastian Foss-Solevag (+0.06). “It was a good first run, I was a bit surprised because the feeling wasn’t that great. I tried to attack every goal correctly and it worked out well. A couple of times it was pretty close, that was really on the very last point. For the second I’ll concentrate again, that’s only half the battle,” said the Vorarlberger Strolz.
Michael Matt is the second best Austrian in seventh place (+0.44). Matt, bronze medalist in Pyeongchang slalom four years ago, had a good run except for the first part, where he couldn’t keep up the speed, there were some slight ribs inside. “In the second we will have the same thing, so it makes me positive that it has already worked out. I have to stay focused and not think too much, I have to perform.”
Marco Schwarz ended up in 25th place (+2.34) and is still in the running, but with no prospect of a top placement. “It must have looked catastrophic. It felt really, really bad. I tried to do everything I could in training, I tried a lot with the material sector, but it doesn’t want to happen,” said Schwarz after the first run. It was even worse for Manuel Feller, who retired after the first round: “In the beginning it was very sleek and aggressive, but with the snowfall it made the whole thing smoother. Suddenly it was minus 25 degrees and wind again and it was really brittle again. And now with the sliding and movement on the slope it has become smoother again.”
