Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing figurehead Teresa Stadlober suffered from a cold during her preparation, but the start of the World Cup in Ruka will take place in the coming days with the Olympic bronze medalist in the Beijing Skiathlon. The 30-year-old from Salzburg is expected to take part in all three competitions in Finland from Friday, but has no concrete expectations after recently recovering from her illness.
23.11.2023 19.00
Online since yesterday, 7 p.m
“I am now physically fit again and have recovered from the cold well,” said Stadlober, who was only able to complete relaxed sessions and no quick training beforehand. She definitely feels ready for the races in the Arctic Circle, but “clearly doesn’t have any great expectations because the preparation just didn’t go quite optimally,” as the distance specialist emphasized.
Also in the autumn, Stadlober, who is no longer being coached by her father Alois Stadlober this season and is hoping for new impulses, fell ill twice within a very short space of time.
Head coach confident
The new head coach Falk Göpfert still believes Stadlober can achieve good results in the first competitions of the mid-season without major cross-country skiing events. “If she is fit, she can run into the top ten,” said the German. However, there is a certain amount of uncertainty due to the health problems.
GEPA/Gintare Karpaviciute After recovering from a cold, Stadlober is starting the new season with foam
A start in the sprint on Friday (final from 12.25 p.m. live on ORF Sport +) will be decided at short notice, then on Saturday there will be the 10 km individual race (classic) for women and men and the 20 km mass start on Sunday of free technology on the program.
“Big step” by Vermeulen
The situation with Mika Vermeulen is different from that of Stadlober, who has also gained strength for the tasks ahead through success at school. “I feel very good at the moment and even completed the first part of my high school diploma about two weeks ago,” said the 24-year-old Styrian.
At the World Cup dress rehearsal in Beitostoelen in Norway, he finished seventh (freestyle) and 14th (classic) in the FIS races. “Everything worked great there. In any case, I have confidence in my abilities and am pretty calm,” said Vermeulen.
Göpfert also sees constant development at Vermeulen. “I believe he can achieve a top ten or top 15 result; he has definitely taken a big step forward,” said the coach. In the sprint, hopes lie with Benjamin Moser. The goal for the trio Moser, Michael Föttinger and Lukas Mrkonjic is to achieve a top 30 place.
2023-11-23 18:00:56
#Crosscountry #skiing #Stadlober #starts #expectations
