Marcel Hirscher leads an Austrian triple to conclude Are 2019
Feb 17, 2019·Alpine Skiing
The men's slalom concluded the 2019 World Ski Championships in Are (Sweden) and Austria finally claimed its gold medal, with Marcel Hirscher successfully defending his slalom World Champion title, ahead of his fellow teammates Michael Matt and Marco Schwarz.
Marcel Hirscher is a phenomenal skier. After travelling to Åre with an illness, he managed to save a silver medal in the giant slalom today, and laid down one of the most perfect runs of the season in the slalom today, to claim a 5th World Championship gold medal. He joined Toni Sailer for a record of 7 World titles (WSC & OWG) in career. This medal also saved the Austrian honor as it was their first gold in those World Championships.
He wasn’t in a great shape so far this season and besides his podium in Madonna di Campiglio, he struggled to find the pace he had last season. But Michael Matt knows how to surpass himself at big events. Like at the Olympics last winter, where he finished in 3rd position, and like his brother at the 2007 World Championships in Åre, he skied very tight lines and risked a lot to finally earn his first WSC medal in career.
Young gun Marco Schwarz can successfully look back on his World Championships. After bronze in the alpine combined, silver in the team event, he claims bronze in the slalom. Three medals, and a 5th place in the giant slalom, where he laid down the fastest time in the second run, that’s the sign for a bright future for Schwarz, who is no longer “only” a slalom specialist, but became a serious Overall skier.
The World Ski Championships at Are 2019 are now history. They were marked by exciting races, emotional retirements, challenging weather and a fair and warm-hearted atmosphere. Before Cortina d’Ampezzo takes over with the World Ski Championships in 2021, the show will now go on on the World Cup Tour, with the next stop in Stockholm on Tuesday evening for a parallel City Event.
Results are available here: WSC 2019 Men's SL
Quotes from the Top 3 are available here: Soundcloud
