“An absolute top performance”
Carl’s winter fairy tale inspires German tour dreams
January 2, 2024, 11:25 a.m
She is in the shape of her life: That’s what longtime top cross-country skier Katharina Hennig says about teammate Victoria Carl. The 28-year-old replaces her as the new number one in the German team and also celebrates podium finishes at the Tour de Ski.
Victoria Carl made a rather unusual resolution on New Year’s Day. The Olympic champion said with a grin that she would “eat a lot” on the first rest day of the Tour de Ski; after all, she has three days of hard work behind her. The 28-year-old definitely deserves a culinary reward: As second overall, the cross-country skier has established herself among the world’s best, just in time for the season’s highlight.
Carl has already climbed all three steps of the podium this winter – not bad for someone who had never been on the podium before the season. The power woman from Zella-Mehlis in Thuringia remains modest: “Of course I hope it continues like this. But I’m not saying that I’m the ultimate podium runner. I want to continue to consistently be in the top ten.”
At least in the German team, Carl is already the new number one. There she replaced Katharina Hennig, with whom she sensationally won gold in the team sprint in Beijing in 2022. Because Hennig is still suffering from the consequences of Corona, the roles are currently clearly assigned. That’s not a problem for Hennig. “Vici, you are in the shape of your life and you 100 percent deserve this,” she wrote on Instagram.
Own paths even during the tour
And so Carl jumps into the breach – and how. After three of seven stages, she can dream of the first “Stockerl” for a German runner on the tour. “It doesn’t stop. The new year begins the same way the old one ended,” said national coach Peter Schlickenrieder proudly: “Vici is holding her own up there on the podium. That’s how you imagine it, Chapeau, great, an absolute one Top performance.”
In Dobbiaco, Carl, in pursuit over 22 kilometers, left the entire competition from Scandinavia behind with a show of strength; only World Cup leader Jessie Diggins could not be beaten. There are now 47 seconds between the leading American and Carl in the overall standings – probably too long to even achieve the really big coup.
Carl has long been going his own way for success, including on the tour. While the majority of the German team only traveled to Davos this Tuesday, Carl packed his bags after the third stage and drove to Switzerland on Monday evening. “I’m not a big fan of short trips, it’s exhausting,” she said.
At least Carl had a whole day in Switzerland to prepare for the sprint on Wednesday and the 20-kilometer race 24 hours later. After all, there was enough to do. Food, for example.