Hirscher “lets the skis go” for second career World Cup win in Kranjska Gora
Marcel Hirscher belied his tender years to snatch victory in the Pokal Victranc in Kranjska Gora. The half Dutch, half Austrian who races for his father’s country, Austria, was fifth after the first run and admitted to having two choices in the start for the second run: He could either go for the result or go for the win. It was for the win he decided and his tactic paid off with dividend! Hirscher posted the fastest second run and then had to wait for those faster than him on the first run to see if they could better his aggregate time.
Hirscher is a man going places: IT was only last year that he won his first Europa Cup race and now has two wins on the World Cup to his name. His bottom section was full of bravado, attacking flare and was rewarded with a fantastic time for the rest of the field to chase. Once he was down there were four racers left to come down and the first of those was the winner of the Adelboden replacement race from Friday, Ted Ligety. Ligety had won the previous three races held down the Podkoren course and was not going to give up his affinity with the course lightly. Although he was ahead of the Austrian at the first two splits, Hirscher’s attack down the last pitch meant that the American finished up almost six tenths behind. “I am going to look forward to watching the video tonight,” admitted the American “as Marcel put in some sweet turns by the look of it down that last pitch.”
Next up was Carlo Janka. The Swiss, winner of the World Championship last February, could not match that performance and was very lethargic and slow between the gates before limping in a second behind Ligety and a massive one point six seconds on Hirscher. Two to go.
Max Blardone has been a massive success this year and as a result finds himself in contention for the Giant Slalom Crystal Globe. Blardone is a Giant Slalom specialist yet his second run just could not live with the blistering pace that Hirscher had set. The Italian struggled down and dropped behind Hirscher and Ligety.
First run leader, Kjetil Jansrud was the last man at the top of the slope. This was the first time that he had lead after the first run in a World Cup race and admitted after the run that he “prefers to be the hunted rather than the hunter,” referring to either being chased (as in the leader) or doing the chasing (the rest of the field). For the first two sections Jansrud was in the mix, keeping Hirscher and the rest behind him. Half way down the final pitch into the finish, Jansrud almost stood up and it was as if he saw the finish and froze. Experience will be gained from this and while he lost almost half a second from this blip, Jansrud was delighted with his second podium in two days on the World Cup.
So Hirscher wins his second race on the Giant Slalom World Cup this season. The young man from the Salzburg region of Austria is in scintillating form coming into the Olympics: it will be a brave man who bets against him taking a medal in just over two weeks in Canada! Ted Ligety described the 19 year old as being “a contender in everything for a long time; he has great speed and does not get tired! The worry for the rest of the field is that Hirscher knows he is a good Giant Slalom racer and will concentrate on improving his Slalom for next year, then his Super Combi performances and then his Super G in three years. And what of the downhill? “That will be in ten years when I am fatter,” he joked!
On Friday it was the same three on the podium but with Ted Ligety winning, Hirscher second and Jansrud in third.
There was no British racer racing.