The Olympic mountain Bjelašnica hosted the first FIS Europe Cup race in the Super-G for men today. In an extremely exciting and dynamic race, the victory was taken by Austrian skier Andreas Ploier, for whom this is the second victory of his career within the FIS Europe Cup, both in the Super-G discipline.
Second place was taken by his compatriot Luis Tritscher, with a high starting number of 32, for whom this is his first podium finish. So far, his best result has been tenth place in the downhill, which he achieved twice during this competition season. A particularly interesting fact about this competitor is that he is the grandson of Reinhard Tritscher, a four-time winner of the Alpine Skiing World Cup.
Third place in today’s competition was taken by Lenz Haechler from Switzerland, for whom this competition brought his first podium finish in the Super-G discipline. His notable results so far this season include two victories in the giant slalom discipline.
Another impressive result in today’s competition was achieved by Kyle Blandford from Canada, who placed tenth with a high starting number of 38. This placement represents his best result in the European Cup so far.
Vincent Wieser from Austria particularly showed his competitive spirit, who despite his injury, skied today with a broken arm and achieved a remarkable result by placing seventh. Thanks to this result, he is only one point away from his compatriot Felix Hacker, who is currently leading the overall European Cup standings in the Super-G discipline.
Wim Rossel, head of the European Cup for men from the International Ski Federation (FIS), emphasized that Bjelašnica is increasingly positioning itself as a serious candidate for hosting the Alpine Skiing World Cup. Rossel emphasized that in 2023, the European Cup, i.e. competition in the Super-G discipline for women, and this year also for men, which is a clear indication that the organizers are ready to organize alpine skiing competitions at the highest level.
Speaking about the organization of this year’s European Cup and the condition of the slopes, Rossel expressed great satisfaction, emphasizing that the slopes were fantastically prepared, and that the first day of the competition was organized at a high level. He praised the organizational team and emphasized that Bjelašnica deservedly got the opportunity to host these prestigious competitions, and that he is looking forward to the second Super-G competition that will be held tomorrow.
The medal ceremony for the winners of today’s competition will be held tonight in the finish area on Bjelašnica at 7 p.m. The second day of competition continues tomorrow, starting at 10 a.m., BHRT writes.
