Ski racer Johannes Strolz was on his way to his best result of the season by far. In the night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, the Austrian was well on time, on course for the podium, he was so fast and confident. Then a pole broke free from the snow and slid under his skis. And then all sovereignty didn’t help him anymore. Strolz first slipped on the pole – and then down the slope.
The night slalom on Thursday evening had everything that drives the viewers of this wintry theater to the slopes: high-performance sport, success, drama. As so often this season, a Swiss (Daniel Yule) won, a Norwegian came second (Henrik Kristoffersen). As is rare this season, a German climbed onto the podium in third place: Linus Straßer from TSV 1860 Munich. The Austrian Strolz could have been on the podium as well. But a peculiarity got in his way in this race that had never happened before.
A total of eleven flex poles tore off in Madonna’s two runs and slid down the slope past the barrel and runner. Ten drivers were lucky – Strolz, sixth after round one, finally got caught on the steep slope. No chance of escaping the pole, it slid right into his driving line. At first it seemed as if the Austrian was allowed to drive again, apparently he had already made his way to the ski lift, as reported by Swiss television SRF. The big question now was: Can he actually start again?
The video assistant is also consulted when skiing, primarily in the slalom discipline, where the classic threader rarely, but sometimes remains undiscovered by the observing eye. After studying the TV pictures, Fis race director Markus Waldner decided not to repeat the run. Strolz was eliminated.
Was it bubbling in the skier Strolz? In any case, he didn’t show it: “I could have just jumped over it, but that wasn’t possible here. I’m glad nothing happened,” said the 30-year-old after the race. “Unfortunately, there are a few things that I can’t influence – and that was one of those cases.”
A fall on the slope that they would certainly have liked to avoid at the Skiweltverband Fis. “The rods are brand new, but in this set the alloy of the screws seems to have a defect,” explained race director Waldner. That wasn’t a reason for Strolz to try again. The rod had come loose from the joint. “There is no re-run because it is force majeure,” said Waldner. Strolz should only have restarted in the event of human error, for example in the case of a poorly installed pole. Waldner apologized to Strolz. “I’m very sorry for Johannes.” The matter should be further investigated.
With a gradient of 70 percent, one of the steepest World Cup slopes in the Alps, the Canalone Miramonti is already legendary. A video drone once crashed here during the race and almost hit the head of the then slalom dominator Marcel Hirscher. A force majeure of a different kind, even then it hit – almost – an Austrian. The Miramonti has also made Italians, Germans and Americans despair; above all the Frenchman Clement Noel, who a year ago, as the leader of the first race, was in the lead and then drove past the last gate – on the wrong side.
It’s not just bad luck for Strolz, it’s also a dilemma: he doesn’t have any World Cup points, which reduces the chances of Austria’s internal casting to participate in the Ski World Championships in February. Maybe the poles will be better at the home race in Schladming, where the slalom is also run under floodlights. Just like on January 4th, when Garmisch-Partenkirchen invites you to the night slalom premiere.
