Although generally not known for their alpine skiers, Linus Strasser broke into the history books recently when he became the first German man to win the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup slalom held in Schladming, Austria since the competition was first held in 1974.
The fastest time set in this two-run competition was 1:46.00, which was just enough for the well-seasoned Linus Strasser to secure a gold medal placing. This led to Strasser edging out very stiff competition in Atle Lie McGrath of Norway and Manuel Feller of Austria at the end of a very tough event.
McGrath put in a particularly good performance, finishing just 0.03 seconds behind Strasser, which was enough to make the 21-year-old, American-born Norwegian athlete burst into tears when he realized he had earned a podium finish. Feller also had a particularly emotional performance, having clawed his way up from 28th place after his first run to secure a bronze medal.
Although humble in victory, Strasser’s performance was no stroke of luck. Having put in some excellent performances in recent years, Strasser’s stock is riding high among winter sports fans.
With this in mind, there is a lot of hope and expectation riding on Strasser coming into the Beijing Winter Games.
Strasser is no stranger to the Olympic Games, having put in a decent performance at the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games. However, Strasser is very much a different athlete these days. With another four years of international competition experience under his belt, 2022 could be his best performance yet.
For this reason, German alpine sports fans are expecting big things from Strasser. If last week’s performance is anything to go by, we could be in for an impressive performance.
The alpine skiing events are due to run from the 6th to the 19th of February during the 2022 Beijing Games, with the giant slalom races running between the 13th and 16th.
