Coach criticizes DSV stars
In excruciating pain, Sander races towards happiness
December 16, 2023, 2:41 p.m
Experienced Dominik Paris races to his first victory in more than a year and a half at the ski classic in Val Gardena. The German downhill skiers around ex-Streif champion Thomas Dreßen are experiencing a debacle. Andreas Sander comes 19th and is satisfied in a very special way.
Thomas Dreßen shook his head almost imperceptibly, but it was clear to him that this race hadn’t gone the way he had imagined either. No trace of the self-confidence he thought he had gained the day before. Instead, he came in 26th place on the descent on the Saslong in Val Gardena, 1.94 seconds behind the winner, Dominik Paris from South Tyrol.
“Sobering is now wrong,” said Dreßen, but: “Of course I hoped for more. I probably just didn’t do well.” 18th place in the Super-G on Friday should have given him a boost, but the 30-year-old is actually treading water a little. “What I still lack is the necessary self-confidence in certain passages and also the coolness,” he said.
“The pain was almost unbearable”
The best German was Andreas Sander, who, in view of the pain that his serious training fall on Tuesday had left on his body and mind, was “happy as seldom” with his gap to Paris (+1.81 seconds) and his placement ( 19.). “The pain was almost unbearable,” he said. “It really couldn’t be more.”
Sander’s teammates had even bigger problems, the German team’s result was actually disappointing: Josef Ferstl in 25th place, just ahead of Dreßen, Romed Baumann in 28th place, Simon Jocher in 37th place – a balance that sobered sports director Wolfgang Maier: “The emotional situation is “It’s not so exciting now, we’re not at the top,” he said, clearly dissatisfied.
“We are not determined enough”
Maier has already identified one reason for the entire team’s poor performance so far. “We are not determined enough, not focused enough,” he complained and emphasized: “Either you go completely in, or you are passed through like we are right now. They are simply too passive. You don’t have to take it personally, but that’s how it is “It’s simple. It’s called a racing driver, not a beautiful driver.”
A prime example was the winner Paris, who achieved his 22nd victory in the World Cup – after seven in Bormio, but his first in the race on the Saslong. “It’s hard to believe that I can do something like that,” he said with a smile and added, “It wasn’t clean, but it was quick enough.” In fact: In the end, Paris clearly won ahead of Aleksander Aamodt Kilde from Norway (+.044 seconds). Third place went to Bryce Bennett from the USA (+0.60), who won the first downhill on Thursday.