"Max and Vince are pushing each other"

"Max and Vince are pushing each other"

LINZ / RIED. The CEO of Fischer, Franz Föttinger, at the head of his leading figures.

A good fishing for fishermen: Max Franz and Vincent Kriechmayr Image: GEPA / Harald Steiner Photos

The ski weekend in Lake Louise has been especially enjoyable for ski maker Fischer. With the victory of Max Franz in the downhill and second place of Vincent Kriechmayr in the Super-G, two leading figures of the Innviertler have offered brilliant performances. Also at Beaver Creek, you can still expect a lot from this duet. If the weather improves. The training of yesterday had to be canceled, for today, the race of descent was preferred (18:45).

"Max and Vince push each other at training, they share a man on duty and keep us on their guard," says Franz Föttinger, who, as CEO of Fischer Sports, had problems difficult to solve after last winter. Kriechmayr was not only because of his two victories during the World Cup rehearsal in Aar as the hottest part of the ski circus. Föttinger: "It was not easy to hold it, but fortunately he decided to stay with us." The Mühlviertler has been fishing for skis since the beginning of his career. Even at age two, he was at his first ski test on Brettln, from Innviertel.

Good guy and good friend

Being able to engage another great player with Max Franz has proven to be a hit in the first race of the season. The 29-year win was downright sensational. The Carinthian has been thrown several times as a result of injuries. More recently, he has been slowed down by knee problems.

The chemistry between the two leading men Fischer has matched perfectly from the beginning. Franz: "Vinc m has shown the way, I hope we will remain such a good team." Kriechmayr also scatters the new roses from his colleagues in the brand. "Max is a good guy and a good friend."

Föttinger is convinced that an even larger number of Innviertel skis will feature on the winning photo of this ski winter. "It will not always be as good as in Lake Louise, but our team has a lot of potential." The results of training at Beaver Creek were definitely promising. Kriechmayr was second behind Austrian Österreich teammate Otmar Striedinger and Franz was ranked ninth in the top ten. Kriechmayr: Although the 27 year old athlete from Gramastetten has never started the season so well, he keeps the ball flat. "Yes, I'm fit and I won three races last season but compared to the others, I'm a little fish," he said after Wednesday's practice. Incidentally, a year ago, he celebrated his first World Cup win at the Beaver Creek Super-G.

The weather like a mess

After the good training performances, the ski aces were unemployed yesterday. A few days after a snowstorm that paralyzed Vail Interstate 70 in Denver for seven hours, new blizzard fronts surpbaded the 2500-meter World Cup site and the 3,200-meter circuit.

The weather outlook is also modest for the next few days. Today, the start is at Beaver Creek (7pm), the weekend following the Super G (Saturday 7pm) and the giant slalom (Sunday 5:45 pm and 8:45 pm). (CHZ)

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