(sda) Too much fresh snow and persistent snowfall prevented the first Super-G of the Olympic winter on Sunday. Thus only one of the three scheduled races took place in the season overture of the speed drivers. On Friday, the first of two runs fell victim to the wintry weather.
The descent should be made up for next week in Beaver Creek, where two Super-G and two descents are on the program from Thursday. The only training for the downhill runs on Saturday and Sunday is scheduled for Wednesday. Replacement date and place and for the Super-G are still open.
Several positive corona cases in the paddock briefly questioned the next speed races in the US state of Colorado. As FIS race director Markus Waldner said, there were ten positive cases in the obligatory PCR tests before the onward journey on Saturday. These mainly concerned American and not Swiss athletes. However, follow-up tests yielded a negative result in nine of them, meaning that all but the person concerned were finally able to travel on to the USA.
In the downhill run on Saturday in Lake Louise, Beat Feuz took 3rd place behind the Austrians Matthias Mayer and Vincent Kriechmayr. Marco Odermatt achieved his best result in the fastest discipline in fourth. In the Super-G on Sunday, the 24-year-old from Nidwalden would have been one of the favorites to win.
Meanwhile, Urs Kryenbühl is one of the beneficiaries of the capricious weather at the speed start. The man from Schwyz decided not to race in Canada because, like his teammate Ralph Weber, he did not want to be vaccinated and was therefore unable to enter Canada. The 27-year-old will make his comeback in Beaver Creek after the serious fall in Kitzbühel in January. As long as the races in Colorado can take place.
