After his strong World Cup comeback at the season opener in Sölden, professional skier Marcel Hirscher is also taking part in the first slalom race this weekend. After the two-time Olympic champion and seven-time world champion finished 23rd in the giant slalom in his native Austria, the 35-year-old is hoping for a sense of achievement in Levi, Finland. “Levi, like Sölden, is an indicator of where I stand in terms of sport after the extremely long absence,” explained the eight-time overall World Cup winner.
The Salzburger prepared for the slalom on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier and on the Reiteralm. “I’m continually making small progress in the material and in my skiing, and I’m happy with that,” said Hirscher, who competed in the first race in more than five years in Sölden. What Hirscher particularly likes about Levi, 135 kilometers north of the Arctic Circle, is “the feeling of isolation and experiencing Lappish traditions. It is very likely that this will be my last time there.” The technology specialist no longer drives for Austria, but for the Netherlands, his mother’s home country. He won the slalom in Levi in 2013, 2016 and 2018.
