Skip to content
📷 GEPA pictures
📷 GEPA pictures

Press release -

Kriechmayr & Crawford score double victory on the Stelvio run

In one of the most challenging Downhill events in the World Cup, the Stelvio run in Bormio, the HEAD Worldcup Rebels once again showed their class: Vincent Kriechmayr won on Wednesday ahead of team-mate James Crawford. Lara Gut-Behrami missed victory in the Giant Slalom in Semmering on Wednesday by just one tenth of a second despite a serious mistake. The biggest surprise, however, came from Matthias Mayer. The Austrian athlete announced on Thursday that he is retiring from ski racing.

"Bormio saw two very special days of racing for us. As breathtaking as Matthias Mayer's announcement on Thursday that he is standing down, were also the results achieved by Vincent Kriechmayr and James Crawford on Wednesday," emphasised HEAD Racing Director Rainer Salzgeber. "While James Crawford's run was sensational, I haven't seen anything like the way Vincent Kriechmayr skied the Stelvio. This is all the more pleasing for us because we are now leading up to the classic events. In terms of the equipment, things are looking really good. The adjustments we made are bearing fruit. It's a pity that Lara Gut-Behrami missed the victory in Semmering by one tenth of a second. The mistake on the second run cost just a bit too much. But I'm very pleased that following her opening win in Killington she is still on a par with the leader in this race. Sara Hector was also very fast until she was thrown off course. She has shown that she is a major contender." Regarding Matthias Mayer's retirement, Rainer Salzgeber said: "Following Beat Feuz's plans to retire, this is now a very unusual situation for us. It's not just that we will be missing Matthias Mayer's performance and potential medals, we will also miss him as a key member of the group. I know he will have good reasons and will have thought it over carefully. I hope that he is as successful in life as he is in skiing - that he makes clear decisions and implements them accordingly. That's what made him so exceptional as an athlete."

📷 GEPA pictures

First victory for Vincent Kriechmayr in Bormio

For Vincent Kriechmayr it was his 14th World Cup victory overall, the seventh in the Downhill. The Austrian athlete has stood on top of the podium once so far this year, in the Downhill in Val Gardena. "That was certainly my best effort on that run," is how Vincent Kriechmayr analysed his first victory in Bormio. "It's the toughest Downhill run of the season, and as a Downhill skier you really want to win it. You have to risk everything from top to bottom, and I did exactly that. You have to ski completely at the limit without making any mistakes - and I totally nailed it."

📷 GEPA pictures

Best result in the Downhill for James Crawford

James Crawford bagged a double victory for the HEAD Worldcup Rebels with his second place. The Canadian was four tenths of a second behind Kriechmayr at the finish. For the 25-year-old it was the third podium finish in the World Cup and his best result in a Downhill event so far. All three of Crawford's top-3 rankings were in 2022. Ryan Cochran-Siegle from the USA finished fifth. Justin Murisier was also pleased with his seventh place. The Swiss athlete started with bib number 40 and raced to his best Downhill result. So far, he has only bagged points twice in this discipline - with a 26th and a 30th place. Eighth place went to Gilles Roulin from Switzerland and 14th place to Adrien Theaux from France.

📷 GEPA pictures

Vincent Kriechmayr on the podium again in the Super-G

The HEAD athletes also confirmed their strong form in the Super-G on Thursday in Bormio. Vincent Kriechmayr again landed on the podium, this time in second place. And with Alexis Pinturault from France finishing fifth, James Crawford sixth, Stefan Babinsky from Austria ninth, and Justin Murisier and Ryan Cochran-Siegle both 13th, there were five more HEAD Worldcup Rebels in the top 15.

📷 GEPA pictures

Lara Gut-Behrami so close to victory

Lara Gut-Behrami had bad luck on the second Giant Slalom run in Semmering on Wednesday. The Swiss athlete skied a brilliant first run and went into run two as the leader. Despite a serious mistake on the second run, the 31-year-old still managed to finish second - missing victory by just one tenth of a second. The two Norwegian athletes Maria Therese Tviberg and Ragnhild Mowinckel finished in eleventh and twelfth place, while Wendy Holdener from Switzerland was 15th. In the first Giant Slalom on Tuesday, Ragnhild Mowinckel finished sixth, Lara Gut-Behrami seventh, Sara Hector from Sweden was eighth and Coralie Frasse-Sombet from France eleventh.

📷 GEPA pictures

Lena Dürr finishes third in the Slalom in Semmering

In the closing Slalom event in Semmering on Thursday, Lena Dürr finished in third place, her first podium finish this season. The German athlete started the second run in fourth place. The final standings saw Wendy Holdener finish fifth and Anna Swenn-Larsson from Sweden sixth. Sara Hector was eleventh. Franziska Gritsch from Austria moved up from 23rd to 14th place with the fastest time on the second run.

📷 GEPA pictures

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.


Contacts

  • Bormio_downhill_2022
    Bormio_downhill_2022
    License:
    Media Use (Followers only)
    File format:
    .jpg
    Size:
    3420 x 2280, 3.96 MB
  • Kriechmayr_Sieg_Bormio_2022
    Kriechmayr_Sieg_Bormio_2022
    License:
    Media Use (Followers only)
    File format:
    .jpg
    Size:
    4248 x 2832, 5.07 MB
  • Crawford_James_Bormio_22
    Crawford_James_Bormio_22
    License:
    Media Use (Followers only)
    File format:
    .jpg
    Size:
    3558 x 2372, 3.79 MB
  • Kriechmayr_action_Bormio_2022
    Kriechmayr_action_Bormio_2022
    License:
    Media Use (Followers only)
    File format:
    .jpg
    Size:
    2194 x 1463, 1.24 MB
  • Gut-Behrami_Lara_Semmering_2022
    Gut-Behrami_Lara_Semmering_2022
    License:
    Media Use (Followers only)
    File format:
    .jpg
    Size:
    5384 x 4000, 3.69 MB
  • Duerr_Lena_Semmering_2022
    Duerr_Lena_Semmering_2022
    License:
    Media Use (Followers only)
    File format:
    .jpg
    Size:
    6000 x 4000, 4.44 MB
  • Mayer_LL_22
    Mayer_LL_22
    License:
    Media Use (Followers only)
    File format:
    .jpg
    Size:
    4338 x 2893, 5.9 MB

Related content

  • 📷 GEPA pictures

    Matthias Mayer ends his skiing career

    The 29th of December started with a shock announcement at the World Cup in Bormio. Matthias Mayer, three-time Olympic champion and HEAD Worldcup Rebel since 2004, took everyone by surprise before the Super-G when he declared his immediate retirement from ski racing.

  • 📷 GEPA pictures

    Elena Curtoni takes the lead in the Super-G World Cup

    Finishing in second place in the Super-G on Sunday in St. Moritz rounded off a successful weekend for Elena Curtoni. The Italian athlete has taken the lead in the discipline ranking with her podium finish. Johan Clarey bagged a cool Christmas present in Val Gardena with his second place in the Downhill on Saturday.

  • 📷 GEPA pictures

    First victories this season for Vincent Kriechmayr & Elena Curtoni

    A perfect start to the ski racing weekend for the HEAD Worldcup Rebels: In Val Gardena Vincent Kriechmayr claimed his first win of the season in Thursday's Downhill on the shortened Saslong run. Matthias Mayer finished in third place, with six HEAD athletes finishing among the top nine. In St. Moritz, Elena Curtoni also raced to her first win of the season in the Downhill on Friday.

  • 📷 GEPA pictures

    Second Slalom victory back-to-back for Wendy Holdener

    Wendy Holdener had to wait a long time for her first Slalom victory in the World Cup. Just two weeks after her first win in Killington, the Swiss athlete followed it up with another victory on Sunday in Sestriere. On Saturday, Sara Hector celebrated a podium finish in second place in the Giant Slalom in Sestriere.

  • 📷 GEPA pictures

    Slalom podium No. 3 for Anna Swenn-Larsson

    Anna Swenn-Larsson remains on course for success. The Swedish athlete, who celebrated her first Slalom victory in Killington in November, also bagged a podium finish in third place in the first Slalom event in Zagreb on Wednesday. The second Slalom in Zagreb on Thursday had to be cancelled due to the warm temperatures.

  • 📷 GEPA pictures

    Lara Gut-Behrami is top in the Super-G too

    Following her successes in the Giant Slalom, Lara Gut-Behrami showed in St. Anton this weekend that victory is hers in the Super-G as well. The Swiss athlete won on Sunday and finished third on Saturday. Beat Feuz didn't quite make it to the podium in Wengen, but the Swiss fans gave him a champion’s reception as he crossed the finish line.

  • 📷 GEPA pictures

    Lena Dürr on the podium in Flachau

    At the Night Slalom in Flachau, Lena Dürr skied to a podium finish for the second time this season. The German athlete was third, equalling her best result of the season in the Slalom in Semmering.