LInnocent Strasser already knew this feeling when the German national anthem sounded at the awards ceremony. His victory at night in slalom was his third World Cup victory and his second in slalom. He’s still far from usual, but he seemed almost quiet on stage. With a happy smile, he enjoyed the ceremony after taking second place to Norway’s Atlee Lee McGrath, who was crying with joy.
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“Incredible race,” Strasser said Tuesday. Something like that is in the eye of the beholder, but it certainly was for him because he finished fifth in the first round and had to tremble a few minutes after his ride in the final, waiting to see what the match would be like. Do. But the four athletes in front of him were out or far behind.
The 29-year-old from Munich was one of the gold medalists at the Beijing Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, which began a week after the Blaney victory, although the field was very tight. There were six different winners in six slaloms this winter, so the number of potential medalists is very high. But whoever tops the final race before the highlight of the season is hunted down a little more than the others.
He will try not to do more than the slalom in Beijing, he said. Strasser talks about “doing my thing” – just like he did in slotming. According to him it was “centered on me, blocking my ski, mountain and everything”. He won, and even the smallest chapter of his journey to Scotting returned to him after the race. When he stopped at a gas station a ski fan followed him: “Today you will win, Strasser,” he said.
Success aside came the unexpected. But again, no. After all, Strasser was already on stage in third place in Adelab, and his appearance on the Wenger a few days later was promising – until he retired. After a mediocre 14th place on Kitzbühel last Sunday, it may come as no surprise that he emphasized how well he feels and how much fun he has between goal posts.
But it was just right: in the second run you could have done a little more trick, not letting himself be thrown out, but, as he said, staying “with himself”. You Strasser says, “You have to drive with your brain”. This is not to say that he has not used a small part of his body before, but his thoughts may have gone in the wrong direction at times. “If you try to force it, it usually doesn’t work,” he said after last year’s experience.
By then, Zagreb in early January and a few days later after finishing second in Adelboton, he may have been a little more stressed, expecting more of himself. Following one setback, another went without good form at the World Championships in Cardina de Ampezo. This time Strauss had to wait a bit for a sense of accomplishment. The beginning was also forgotten due to the stubborn cold. Now he’s actually going to the Olympic slalom in two more weeks, the highlight of the season.
In slotting, Strasser came in full circle. Seven years ago, at his seventh World Cup in Slalom, he finished fifth. A new Slalom star rose, so those in charge believed it could form in the shadow of Felix Neurother and Fritz Dober, who were among the best in the world at the time. But things turned out a little differently. As Strauss’s star came out first, he had to contend with this fast-paced and dangerous driving style, which head coach Christian Swiger once described as a “ticking time bomb” because Strausser could take very quick turns, but faced danger. Deleted.
Last year, Strauss seemed to finally find himself. Before that, he had changed his driving style nicely. Instead of wanting to do magic between bars like before, he is now focused on the right position and now he knows better where to attack and where to slow down more effectively. And without asking too much of others, Strauss realizes that it is better to listen to himself: “If people tell you what to do or how to do it, then it is of no use,” he said. “You have to find your own way.” There is little doubt that he won.
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