Press release -
Alexis Pinturault snatches Combined victory in Bormio
An awesome Super-G performance provided the basis for Alexis Pinturault nailing his third victory of the season at the Combined event in Bormio on Sunday. HEAD Rebels Beat Feuz and Matthias Mayer also bagged podium finishes in Bormio on the two Downhill races.
The day before the Combined event in Bormio, Alexis Pinturault was still not sure he would be able to compete. The Frenchman had suffered an adductor muscle strain injury during the Parallel Giant Slalom in Alta Badia before Christmas. "Alexis skied again for the first time on Saturday. He was not sure it was going to work in the Super-G. In the end, however, it was the Super-G that delivered the basis for his victory. He really did an awesome job," said a delighted Rainer Salzgeber, HEAD Racing Director.
Following the Super-G Alexis Pinturault was in twelfth place just 97 hundredths of a second behind. In the Slalom the 28-year-old made up almost all the deficit by the first timing gate. Crossing the finish line Pinturault had built up a 51 hundredths of a second lead on second place. For the Frenchman it was his third victory of the season following the Giant Slalom in Sölden and the Slalom in Val d'Isere. "The Super-G was extremely important today. My injury was no problem during the race; not until the finish. The physiotherapists have got their work cut out now," said the Combined event winner. Kjetil Jansrud from Norway was tenth in the Combined event.
Beat Feuz on the podium twice in the Downhill races
The World Cup weekend started on the Stelvio run in Bormio on Friday with the Downhill replacing the race cancelled last week in Val Gardena. Beat Feuz from Switzerland came second, Matthias Mayer from Austria third. Feuz had to race with a splint for a broken bone in his hand. With the two Frenchmen Johan Clarey in tenth place and Adrien Theaux in 14th, there were two more HEAD Rebels in the top 15.
In the Downhill race on Saturday Beat Feuz clinched another podium finish in third place. He was just 26 hundredths of a second away from victory. Among the top 15 Matthias Mayer was fifth, Johan Clarey seventh, Adrien Theaux eighth and Canadian Benjamin Thomson twelfth. "I'm also highly satisfied with the great results in both the Downhill events", declared Rainer Salzgeber. "On Saturday we had four athletes in the top eight. And Beat making it to the podium twice with that splint on his hand was an incredible achievement."
Lena Dürr races best result of the season in the Slalom
At the women's Giant Slalom on Saturday in Lienz in Austria, three HEAD athletes finished in the top 15 with Sara Hector from Sweden tenth, Coralie Frasse-Sombet from France 13th and Wendy Holdener 15th. Franziska Gritsch from Austria with bib number 43 yet again picked up World Cup points in 19th place. And her compatriot Anna Veith in 27th place was pleased to collect her first World Cup points in the Giant Slalom following her knee injury. Lena Dürr from Germany achieved her best result of the season in sixth place in the Slalom in Lienz on Sunday.
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