The ugliness of straddling rears its head in Kitzbuehel
From the moment Marcel Hirscher straddled, or was reputed to have straddled, the first gate in Kitzbuehel, the cameras tried to see if he had done so. Most racers will stop after a clear cut decision and yet when there is so much at stake for the racers at the top of the sport, when it is not clear cut, surely the racer is right to go on? Hirscher was pulled up in Wengen for straddling after having ‘won’ the first run and then the focus went even further back as Felix Neureuther was adjudged to have straddled in Adelboden. With the use of television and slow motion replays, technology is playing an important part in the sport.
There are a number of racers who are now feeling that the feeling of guilt for having got away with a straddle is a lot to bear. Ivica Kostelic was interviewed on Austrian Television at Kitzbuehel and explained that “It is only one race but the shame lasts forever.” Kostelic is one of the few current racers that can hold the attention of the media and when he talks people listen. If you see him being interviewed, Kostelic is very thoughtful and has learned his lessons in speaking without thinking.
While Hirscher has spoken of feeling like he is the hunted one, when you are successful, you will always be scrutinised. Everybody loves a winner but in sport people want winners to be winners having done things the right way.
Straddling a gate is a hard thing to determine at the speed slalom skiers go. Felix Neureuther agreed that maybe it is time for technology to come into the sport to help determine this age old problem. With the rules concerning what constitutes going through a gate legally stating that it is the boots that have to pass between the gate, the speed that racers do these days in slalom, even at the first gate, can be fast. Who would want to be a gatekeeper on the world cup these days?
Honesty and integrity are important. The vast majority of the racers do give up on a run if they feel that they have straddled. Yet there is always the ‘what if…’ scenario. Respect for each of the racers is great but Kostelic does not believe that Hirscher when Hirscher says that he thought he was clean.
This is a story that will run and has implications all the way down the racing tree!
