Ski legend Hermann Maier believes the Austrian team can achieve great things in the Olympic winter - even dethroning overall World Cup winner Marco Odermatt.
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- After a weaker last season, Austria's ski team has made a strong start to the new World Cup winter.
- The 54-time World Cup winner Hermann Maier is optimistic and believes that the ÖSV team can return to its former successes.
- Maier even believes that two Austrians can challenge Marco Odermatt in the race for the overall World Cup.
After a largely disappointing last season (excluding the home World Championships in Saalbach in February), Austria has made an impressive comeback at the start of the Olympic winter in Sölden. Julia Scheib takes victory in the women's giant slalom, followed the next day by three ÖSV athletes finishing in the top 6 in the men's race.
No wonder skiing legend Hermann Maier is optimistic for the upcoming season. "That's also because the World Championships went really well. Ultimately, we've bottomed out," says Maier at a media event in Vienna , according to the news portal "heute". "I believe that we can expect much more this year and that it will be a very good season from an Austrian perspective."
Schwarz and Haaser as Odermatt challengers
The "Herminator" even goes one step further. "One or the other has a chance of reaching the top of the overall World Cup," believes the 52-year-old, adding: "Marco Odermatt was also beatable last year and didn't have his best season." Maier primarily sees Marco Schwarz and Raphael Haaser as possible Odermatt challengers.
But Maier also believes that Marcel Hirscher, who is now competing for the Netherlands, is capable of anything. "He has certainly learned a lot from last year. From the outside, the planning is better now. He skipped the first race," says Maier and also says with regard to the Olympic Games in February: "I think Hirscher is still absolutely capable of winning."
