Mr. Skintelligence

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Text by Atomic

A true champion learns from experience. The results of Lake Louise might have looked different had Michael Walchhofer trusted his impulses and the intuition of his service crew and selected the Downhill-Doubledeck for last month’s races. But he did not – in contrast to the race in Gröden, where he started for the last time in his career and ensured his fourth victory on the “Saslong” (which was the 17th victory of his career). Call him Mr. Skintelligence, "It was a perfect race with the best ski – it was risky when it came to tighter radii, but I am glad I took the risk. You have to play with the terrain in order to be fast“, says D2 star Michael Walchhofer. At Christmas, he will find time to play with his children – and in Bormio, his favorite downhill (11 races, 3 victories, 8 times on the podium), he might play his competitors again.

TOP-SPEED-PERFORMANCE

The super-G in Gröden was once again a performance starring the ATOMIC speed-unit: Erik Guay ranked 3rd, Benni Raich 4th, and Carlo Janka 8th. ATOMIC Race Director Rudi Huber, "It is a season with a World Ski Championships, and from Bormio until this big-time event, the season is revved up again. And what we see is that the performances of our athletes are just right for the season’s highlights.”

AHEAD OF US...

For the ATOMIC stars, Christmas break has begun. There is an exception though: the ladies’ slalom unit will race in Courchevel on Tuesday. On December 28th and 29th, the ATOMIC ladies are facing a giant slalom and a slalom at Semmering, while the men are heading to the downhill classics in Bormio.

SUPER-G IN GRÖDEN

1. Michael Walchhofer (AUT) 1:34,35
2. Stephan Keppler (GER) 1:35,02
3. Erik Guay (CAN) 1:35,16
4. Benjamin Raich (AUT) 1:35,32
5. Romed Baumann (AUT) 1:35,58
6. Silvan Zurbriggen (SUI) 1:35,68
7. Werner Heel (ITA) 1:35,74
8. Carlo Janka (SUI) 1:35,76

News Source : Mr. Skintelligence