2024-01-13 03:36:10
Published13. January 2024, 04:36
All the facts: Lauberhorn races skimp on prize money – you need to know that
As in 2022, there will be four races in four days in Wengen this year. The focus is entirely on driver Marco Odermatt.
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Odermatt won the shortened downhill on Thursday.
SRF
Stingy prize money
The Lauberhorn run is not only the longest in the World Cup, it is also one of the most famous race routes in the world, alongside the Streif in Kitzbühel. A victory on the original track is a huge prestige success. But one that doesn’t bring in a lot of prize money. A win is rewarded with 47,000 francs. This is no more than required by the international ski association FIS.
In comparison: Anyone who wins on the Streif will receive 100,000 francs. “Apparently they are financially tight, but I don’t know whether that’s actually the case. But they are classics, everyone talks about them, they could certainly be priced a little higher,” Gino Caviezel is quoted in the Tamedia newspapers. OK boss Urs Näpflin replied that increasing the prize money was not an issue, they simply didn’t have the reserves for it.
Two runs on the legendary Lauberhorn
In 2024 it will not be the first time that the speed riders will complete two downhill runs in Wengen. That was already the case in 2022, when the winners were Vincent Kriechmayr and Aleksander Kilde. The Austrian won the original, the Norwegian the race on a shortened slope. On Thursday Odermatt did the same. Can he also triumph in the original on Saturday?
The record time for the original Lauberhorn descent is still held by the Italian Kristian Ghedina, who raced down the route in 2:24.23 minutes in 1997 at an average speed of 106.33 km/h. This time will probably never be beaten again, as the route has been defused thanks to safety precautions, making it “slower” and longer.
These are the most important numbers for the departure.
20m
Oh yes, the World Cup speed record was also set on the Lauberhorn. The Frenchman Johan Clarey reached 161.9 km/h in the Hanneggschuss in 2013!
Fatal accident in Ziel-S
33 years ago there was a fatal accident on the Lauberhorn: The Austrian Gernot Reinstadler got stuck and fell at the finish S during the qualification that was held at that time. He flew into the safety net, but one of his ski tips got accidentally caught in the net. As a result, Reinstadler suffered a split pelvis and suffered severe injuries to the blood vessels in his abdomen.
Reinstadler died from his injuries in the hospital a few hours later. “During the fall, the right leg was almost torn off, which led to severe fractures and nerve and blood vessel injuries,” said the anesthesia department at Interlaken Hospital at the time. The race was canceled after the death. The target jump was later defused.
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Ski racers with the most World Cup victories 1. Name: Mikaela Shiffrin Nationality: USA Active: from 2012 to now World Cup victories: 93 (4 A, 5 SG, 22 RS, 56 S, 1 K, 5 PR)
Getty Images
2. Name: Ingemar Stenmark Nationality: Sweden Active: from 1974 to 1989 World Cup victories: 86 (46 RS, 40 S)
AFP
3. Name: Lindsey Vonn Nationality: USA Active: from 2004 to 2018 World Cup victories: 82 (43 A, 28 SG, 4 RS, 2 S, 5 K)
Dominik Angerer/Expa
Feuz is not a record winner
Emmentaler Beat Feuz has won the Lauberhorn downhill run three times: 2020, 2018 and 2012. This means that the 36-year-old, who retired in January 2023, is not a record winner. Karl Molitor won the downhill six times between 1939 and 1947. After all, it is a Swiss, indeed a native of Wengen, who holds this record. The Austrian Toni Sailer won four times in a row from 1955 to 1958. Only the Austrian Franz Klemm has achieved three World Cup victories like Feuz.
A Swiss success in slalom was a long time ago, a very long time ago – 37 years to be precise. In 1987, Joël Gaspoz triumphed. It was the Valaisan’s only victory in this discipline – alongside six successes in the giant slalom.
Sensation from the Swiss Hintermann
It is one of the greatest sensations of modern times: Niels Hintermann won the combination in Wengen in 2017 on Friday, January 13th. This after the Zurich native had shown a solid slalom run. Due to the uncertain weather conditions, the technical discipline was completed first and then the downhill. Hintermann was lucky and was able to tackle the shortened descent in good weather. Shortly after his run it started to snow and the downhill slope became slower and slower. One driver after the other failed because of Hintermann’s time. So he won the race with starting number 51. Hintermann also won a World Cup race under “normal” conditions in 2022 with the downhill run in Kvitfjell.
Wengen curiosities
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In 1939, the Swiss Karl Molitor won the downhill by nine seconds. The day before the ski race, a ski instructor and his students gave the Wengen native a shortcut between two gates. However, this shortcut was only one ski length wide, so Molitor fell due to speeding too quickly. Nevertheless, Molitor won his first Lauberhorn descent. This was only possible because there were no cameras and only a few spectators at the race track.
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In 1987 Pirmin Zurbriggen won the combination. This is because the Valaisan was the only rider who took part in both races (downhill and slalom).
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In 2004, Didier Cuche received a place on the honor roll in Wengen, although the Neuchâtel native was never able to win the Lauberhorn descent until the end of his career in 2012. In 2004 the race could not be held and was rescheduled in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Cuche then won this descent, hence the honor.
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