Alpine skiing: ÖSV brings Assinger back as women’s boss

Assinger already worked in various positions as a trainer at ÖSV from 2008 to 2020, his last function was that of speed head trainer. The former downhill skier, who for the past three years worked as a ski trainer for young talents at the Sportgymnasium Davos in Switzerland, will take over as women’s boss on April 1st. Trinker had only held the post for a year.

“Last season definitely didn’t go according to plan and was anything but satisfactory. After numerous discussions and a precise analysis of the current situation, we have come to the decision that we want to go into the next season with Roland Assinger as the new women’s boss,” commented ÖSV Alpine boss Herbert Mandl on the decision.

Worst season since 2016/17

Trinker was promoted to the position by Mandl only a year ago and his team was unable to meet the expectations placed on him. With only nine podium finishes – two wins by Cornelia Hütter and Nina Ortlieb each in the Super-G, four second places and three third places – the red-white-red women in the World Cup were worse than they had been since 2016/17. Back then, the Austrians ended the winter with just one win, two second places and four third places.

The Steirer Trinker, who lives in Tyrol, also experienced a crisis among the technicians, which also included a blatant drop in performance at Katharina Liensberger. At the Ski World Championships in Meribel, however, the Austrians did better than feared and won one silver and two bronze medals. Ortlieb became Vice World Champion in the downhill, Hütter took bronze in the Super-G and Ricarda Haaser in the combination.

Calm should return

Assinger wants to pull the muddled cart back out of the sporting swamp. The Carinthian sees his absence from the association in the past three years as an advantage: “I’m therefore approaching this task totally unaffected. It is definitely a big and very exciting challenge. The most important thing now is that calm returns and I can plan the new season together with the athletes and the coaching team,” says the new women’s boss.

The Carinthian first has to take care of a new supervisory staff with Mandl. Because both speed head coach Alexander Hödlmoser and his assistant Florian Scheiber are likely to leave the ÖSV. There are also changes in the area of ​​technical support. “There will definitely be changes there. When the whole team actually experiences a descent, then you have to act safely,” Mandl said a week ago at the World Cup final in Soldeu.