After the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup opening in half-pipe and in snowboard cross in the Southern hemisphere, it’s now time for the alpine snowboarders to sharpen the edges and apply the right wax on their boards.

The start into the new winter couldn't have been better for the Austrian squad as Doris Guenther and Benjamin Karl successfully competed against competition from 22 nations at the first alpine snowboarding contest of the 2009 LG Snowboard FIS World Cup. In the ladies' parallel slalom final held in SnowWorld Landgraaf, Guenther relegated her teammate Heidi Neururer to the second spot. In the small final, reigning overall World Cup title champion Nicolien Sauerbreij (NED) prevented a total podium sweep.

On the men's side, Karl crossed the finish line in the big final 35 hundredths ahead of Adam Smith (USA). In the battle for third, Patrick Bussler (GER) secured his career's first ever podium by beating Rok Flander (SLO).

Already in the time trials of the qualification of the only indoor event of the LG Snowboard FIS World Cup, Doris Guenther underlined her form. Despite the fact that it only was her ninth day on the snow, the 30-year-old from Zell am See got the whole shot. "I feel super good. I had a really hard summer being ill for a very long time (virus infection). Due to this, I couldn't train as much as I wanted. But I had a perfect material set-up - that helped a lot!" In addition, she noted another reason for being so strong : "I take it more easy now after I had to find out this summer that there are more important things than the sport - for example my health."

That it worked out with her fifth World Cup victory in her 181st World Cup start wasn't expected at all by the two-time Olympian: "I couldn't think of that at all. I was in a very good shape the whole day but the triumph was pretty surprising."

In contrary to the ladies competition, where the four fastest athletes of the qualification also dominated the knock-out finals, the men's final was a one-man-show of one rider who just sneaked in the K.o.-duels of the last 16. Benjamin Karl secured the last spot by beating even timed Christopher Klug in a decisive run. Thereafter, he had to face the pairing with the top-carver of the qualifiers Roland Fischnaller (ITA). Beating Fischnaller was the decisive triumph for Karl on his way to his career's third World Cup triumph - just six days prior his 23rd birthday. "Knocking out today's strongest man gave me a fresh impetus. It pushed me and I knew I could do it. Especially after I thought that I'm out when I saw the time in my first qualification run. But it seems that I'm able to snowboard indoors now as well" said Karl all smiles.

FIS news
13.10.2008

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