Kira Weidle drives to the podium in Zauchensee

SSki racer Kira Weidle has achieved the long-awaited liberation after recent sobering results at the downhill World Cup in Zauchensee. The 25-year-old from Starnberg was only beaten by world champion Lara Gut-Behrami from Switzerland on Saturday. “It was really fun. This is also the key to success for me. Finally back on the podium,” said Weidle, who finished second in a World Cup for the first time in her career.

Only a tenth of a second separated the downhill specialist from Gut-Behrami, who reported back impressively after her four-week Corona break. Third was Ramona Siebenhofer from Austria (+0.44). “The tenth annoys me a bit, but you can’t complain about second place. That means a lot to me at the moment,” said Weidle, looking at her bumpy start to the season. Tenth and seventh place in Lake Louise and 39th in Val d’Isere were “not the results I had hoped for”, admitted the native of Stuttgart looking back. Frustration and disappointment were great.

“It’s one hundred percent a head issue,” Weidle said recently and sought professional help. A mental trainer should help you to deal better with your own expectations and with external pressure. The success in Zauchensee now proves her right. “I think it’s going in a good direction now, although that shouldn’t be overstated. At the end of the day, she has to be a good skier,” said women’s national coach Jürgen Graller.

On Saturday, Weidle also benefited from the elimination of the big favorite Sofia Goggia, who had been around four tenths in the lead in the meantime. The Italian and favorite to win the Olympic Games in Beijing, who had won all three downhill runs so far this season, crashed into the safety net after a driving error. She didn’t appear to have been seriously injured at first.