Press release -
Super Sunday with double victory in Tarvisio & victory in Wengen
An incredibly successful Sunday makes it a fantastic weekend for the HEAD Worldcup Rebels. Emma Aicher and Lindsey Vonn clinch a double victory in the Super-G in Tarvisio, and Atle Lie McGrath wins the Slalom in Wengen for the second year in a row. On top of that, Stefan Babinsky finishes second and Franjo von Allmen third in the Super-G in Wengen on Friday, while on Saturday, Vincent Kriechmayr races to second place in the Downhill in Wengen, and Lindsey Vonn podiums third in the Downhill in Tarvisio.
"That was a really special weekend for us. Atle Lie McGrath has won in Wengen for the second time in a row in supreme style. Matthias Iten also put in an awesome performance. The younger athletes are moving up, and that is really fun to see," said HEAD Racing Director, Rainer Salzgeber. "The speed events in Wengen were also super exciting. Stefan Babinsky on the podium for the first time is also very important in terms of qualifying for the Olympics. Franjo von Allmen skied amazingly well in both races. And for Vincent Kriechmayr, this is confirmation that he is right on track. The women's Downhill race in Tarvisio is special because the athletes are skiing in the tuck position most of the time. Such a strong result with the team finishing in places three to six shows that the equipment is doing its job. In the neck-and-neck race between Emma Aicher and Lindsey Vonn, the approach to the last jump was decisive. It's great to see younger and older athletes duelling like this."
Fifth Slalom victory for Atle Lie McGrath
His fifth victory in the World Cup, the fifth in the Slalom, the second after 2025 in Wengen, saw Atle Lie McGrath confirm his current top form on Sunday. The 25-year-old Norwegian athlete was in the lead after the first run, and secured his victory by clocking the fourth fastest time on run two. "Wengen is so special, it is so cool to ski here. It really is a childhood dream for me, and it has come true again. I saw the way Lucas skied, and knew that I had to go flat out. It was so good, just perfect!" said Atle Lie McGrath.
Matthias Iten clocks the fastest time on run two
Matthias Iten's result, having started with bib number 44, was also sensational. The 26-year-old Swiss athlete, who was in 23rd place after the first run, finished in sixth place by clocking the fastest time on run two. This is his best result so far in the World Cup, and it was in front of his home crowd. Also scoring points on Sunday were Linus Straßer from Germany in eleventh place, Hans Grahl-Madsen and Oscar Andreas Sandvik from Norway 17th and 23rd, Armand Marchant from Belgium in 25th place, and Johannes Strolz from Austria 28th.
First World Cup podium for Stefan Babinsky
In his 94th World Cup race it finally all worked out: Stefan Babinsky finished second in the Super-G in Wengen on Friday to step up onto the podium for the first time in his career. "It's extremely awesome. I have had several fourth places, and those fourth places kept me motivated to make it happen. It has always been about just a few little things, and I've been working on them over the last few weeks. I have always tried to remain true to my objectives, and I have always believed that I can do it. I'm very pleased with my performance. I managed to ski the course exactly the way I planned. I didn't ski the final S curves into the finish as well as I wanted. The speed is very high from top to bottom. It's an insane battle and you need to be fully focused," said Stefan Babinsky.
Fourth podium of the season for Franjo von Allmen
Franjo von Allmen raced to third place as the second HEAD Worldcup Rebel on the podium in the Super-G; his fourth this season, this is the second Super-G podium since his third place in Livigno. "It wasn't perfect on Canadian Corner. That wasn't the way I planned it. That's why I was surprised at being in third place when I crossed the finish line. A mistake like that catches you out, but you have to immediately concentrate fully on the course again," says Franjo von Allmen. Ryan Cochran-Siegle from the USA also landed in the top ten in sixth place. World Cup points also went to Vincent Kriechmayr and Lukas Feurstein from Austria in twelfth and 13th place, James Crawford from Canada 20th, Simon Jocher from Germany 27th, and Justin Murisier from Switzerland in 28th place.
Vincent Kriechmayr finishes second in the Lauberhorn classic
In the Downhill race on the Lauberhorn run in Wengen on Saturday, which was held on a shortened course due to strong winds in the upper section, Vincent Kriechmayr was delighted to finish in second place to bag his first podium of the season in this discipline. In the Super-G, the 34-year-old Austrian athlete has already notched up a victory and a second place. "I made sure I got back on track, and managed to ski an excellent race today. I'm delighted with second place. I tried to ski at the limit from top to bottom, because that is what it takes," explained Vincent Kriechmayr.
Franjo von Allmen just misses the podium
Franjo von Allmen finished fourth, just missing the podium by three hundredths of a second. Also picking up World Cup points were Ryan Cochran-Siegle in 15th place, Henrik von Appen from Chile 16th, Justin Murisier 17th, Simon Jocher 22nd, and James Crawford 26th. For Henrik von Appen, who started the race with bib number 50, this is his best result in the Downhill so far.
Second Super-G victory for Emma Aicher
In Tarvisio on Sunday, Emma Aicher celebrated her fourth World Cup victory - her second in the Super-G. “I was happy with my skiing from top to bottom. There have always been a few mistakes in the last few races, but this time everything went well. I am enjoying skiing, and I'm so happy to be competing. I focus on my technique and always try to ski as well as possible," said Emma Aicher, delighted, at the finish.
The best Super-G result for Lindsey Vonn this season
Tarvisio seems to be a favourite run for Lindsey Vonn, who finished second to secure a double victory in the Super-G. The American athlete stood on the podium for the eighth race in a row in Tarvisio. In the Super-G it was the best result so far this season for the 41-year-old athlete. "This second place is great because things haven't gone as well in the super-G so far this season as they have in the Downhill. I'm a bit annoyed with myself because the gap behind first place is so close. I hope I get these ten-hundredths of a second back in Cortina," said Lindsey Vonn. Keely Cashman was also satisfied with fifth place. This is the best result in the World Cup so far for the 26-year-old American athlete. Also finishing in the top ten were Kajsa Vickhoff Lie from Norway in seventh place and Laura Pirovano from Italy who finished tenth. In the top 30 were Cornelia Hütter from Austria in twelfth place, Laura Gauche from France 15th, Elena Curtoni from Italy 16th, Nina Ortlieb and Ariane Rädler from Austria 17th and 18th, Allison Mollin from the USA 20th, Nadine Fest from Austria 23rd, and Corinne Suter from Switzerland 24th.
Lindsey Vonn extends her lead in the Downhill World Cup
Finishing third in the Downhill in Tarvisio on Saturday means that Lindsey Vonn further extends her lead in the Downhill discipline rankings with 400 points. The American athlete raced to the podium in all five Downhill events this season, with two victories in St. Moritz and Zauchensee, second place in St. Moritz, and two third places in Val d'Isere and here in Tarvisio. "It went well. I was very close to the fence, but was able to keep up my speed very well for these conditions. I'm close to the top and, considering the circumstances, I'm pretty satisfied with that," said Lindsey Vonn.
Four HEAD Worldcup Rebels in the top six
Three more HEAD Worldcup Rebels followed with Nina Ortlieb fourth, Emma Aicher fifth, and Laura Pirovano in sixth place. Rounding off a hugely successful weekend, in the top 30 on Saturday were Kajsa Vickhoff Lie in 14th place, Corinne Suter 15th, Cornelia Hütter 18th, Allison Mollin 19th, Ariane Rädler 20th, Elena Curtoni 24th, and Delia Durrer from Switzerland, who finished 28th.
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