Press release -
Camille Rast & Wendy Holdener - HEAD Worldcup Rebels celebrate double victory in the Slalom
Third individual Gold for the HEAD Worldcup Rebels at the World Championships in Saalbach. Following Stephanie Venier in the Super-G and Franjo von Allmen in the Downhill, Camille Rast takes Gold in the Slalom on Saturday. Silver goes to her compatriot Wendy Holdener. Just like in the men's Downhill, HEAD celebrate a superb double victory.
"When you win first and second place and with such a convincing lead, it's a dream come true. Especially when you know the backstory of the two athletes who are now on that podium," said HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "Wendy Holdener has been through difficult times in her private life. Camille Rast left the team for a while. And now they can celebrate this double victory: that's really cool. Stefan Kappaurer, who looks after our women's team, has once again done a great job. He provided new skis for Camille Rast and they have given her a lot of confidence over the past few days. Winning the Gold medal is full confirmation of that. It was tough for Anna Swenn-Larsson, because she was in second place when she dropped out."
"Being on the podium with Wendy is really cool"
Camille Rast has crowned her successful Slalom season with the World Championship Gold medal in Saalbach. As the current leader in the Slalom World Cup, she has won two World Cup races so far this season - Killington in December 2024 and Flachau in January 2025. Now the 25-year-old Swiss athlete can also celebrate her first World Championship medal. "Everything had to go right for a medal today and it did. I am mega satisfied with that. I felt mentally prepared for the day. We have a great team spirit, which is very important when you are competing. It gives us all a positive boost. Being on the podium with Wendy is really cool," said the new World Champion at the finish. Camille Rast laid the foundation for World Championship Gold with a sensational first run in which she beat second-placed Katharina Liensberger by 58 hundredths of a second. "Everything was right, the equipment and also physically. It was great fun. I did my thing and found my flow," the Swiss athlete said after the first run. With the fourth-fastest time on the second run, Camille Rast ultimately achieved a commanding victory.
Third medal for Wendy Holdener in Saalbach
This is Wendy Holdener's ninth World Championship medal in total - her third at the World Championships in Saalbach following her Silver medals in the Team and Team Combined events. In the Slalom, the 31-year-old Swiss athlete moved up from fourth place after run one to second place overall having clocked the fastest time on run two. "I was fourth and knew I had to ski flat out, because the first run I did kind of medium. I am mega happy today. Camille skied a top performance, and it is a great day for us both. I'm very happy with my performance too," said Wendy Holdener.
Lara Gut-Behrami just misses out on a medal
In the women's Giant Slalom on Thursday, HEAD athletes Lara Gut-Behrami and Sara Hector narrowly missed out on the medals. Lara Gut-Behrami finished in fifth place, only six hundredths of a second away from third place. After the first run the Swiss athlete had been in fourth place. Another two tenths behind Lara Gut-Behrami was Sara Hector from Sweden in sixth place. In the men's Giant Slalom on Friday, Atle Lie McGrath from Norway finished tenth.
Topics
ABOUT HEAD
HEAD is a leading global provider of premium, high-performance equipment and apparel for athletes and players, at all levels.
We have five divisions: Winter Sports, Racquet Sports, Water Sports, Sportswear and Licensing.
We sell products under the brands:
HEAD (alpine skis, ski bindings, ski boots, snowboard and protection products, tennis, racquetball, paddle, squash and pickleball racquets, tennis balls and tennis footwear, sportswear and swimming products)
PENN (tennis balls and racquetball balls)
TYROLIA (ski bindings)
MARES, SSI and rEvo (diving)
LiveAboard (diving holidays, dive tours)
ZOGGS (goggles, swimwear and equipment)
INDIGO (skis, ski helmets, ski goggles, ski accessories, snowboards and other ski gear)
Since our launch in 1950, we’ve achieved a reputation for cutting-edge design, engineering excellence and a passion for championing all sport, everywhere. World-class performance demands the very best equipment and that’s why, at HEAD, our purpose is to give athletes and players at every level, exactly what they need to win.
