Kriechmayr, who came third on Saturday in Norway in the last downhill of the season behind the Italian Dominik Paris and the Swiss Olympic champion Franjo von Allmen and finished the downhill World Cup in fourth place, then made people sit up and take notice with a “message” to the association.
The double world champion from Cortina d’Ampezzo 2021 said that he could very well imagine a continuation of his career under one condition. Namely the return of Meliessnig, who was Kriechmayr’s confidant in terms of fitness between 2015 and 2024 and was then signed by Red Bull to give US superstar Lindsey Vonn a leg up.
“It’s possible that I’ll continue”
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In the last descent of the season, Vincent Kriechmayr managed to get onto the podium again in third place. In the ORF interview he talked about his journey, the race and his future.
Not enough appreciation in the association
“He’s an outstanding guy. That’s exactly the kind of person you need to go the last few meters in the summer. It’s a shame, he wasn’t that valued in the ski association, so he threw his hat on,” said Kriechmayr on ORF. To torment himself in the summer, he needs the best people. “And that’s why I need it. Maybe this is a bit of a message to the ski association – we’ll see.”
Michael Walchhofer and Anna Veith, who had also wanted Meliessnig as a fitness trainer and physiotherapist in the open dispute with the ÖSV, once found this.
Kriechmayr did not want to say whether the scene’s biggest star himself was open to a return. “The company that grabbed him won’t be so stupid and let such a man go. I hope that with the message – and I hope the association will forgive me – I will put a little pressure on him,” said Kriechmayr.
Mitter: “It’s our turn”
Christian Mitter, who had been working as ÖSV Alpine boss for almost a year, then rolled out the red carpet for the “great guy and expert” Meliessnig. “I would really like to work with him, he can help us as a whole association. All the better if a top athlete like Vinc likes to work with him,” said Mitter. “It’s our turn, but of course it’s also his personal decision to work with the association again.”
Future of Franz, Striedinger and Hemetsberger open
The ÖSV team’s Carinthian Max Franz and Otmar Striedinger and the Styrian Daniel Danklmaier will probably no longer be seen in the World Cup next season. The 36-year-old Franz, the 34-year-old Striedinger and the 32-year-old Danklmaier are likely to lose their place in the squad. At least that’s what head coach Marko Pfeifer suggested in an interview: “You have to observe the development of performance in combination with age.”
The future of Daniel Hemetsberger is also open. The 34-year-old Upper Austrian, ninth in Kvitfjell on Saturday, has been struggling with physical problems for “a long time.”
