Racing: Gold as the highlight
Men's and women's: one WCH title, four World Cup victories, 15 podium finishes in total
The Fischer Racing Team has had a season of highs and lows. However, with four victories and a further eleven podium finishes in total, the outcome for the Racing Team was still a positive one.
Mario Matt (AUT) had a promising start to the season, taking third place in the Slalom in Levi (FIN). However, he was unable to maintain his form and had to wait until the final in Åre (SWE) to make it back to the top of the podium again. The Flirsch based racer finally clinched victory in familiar style at the big World Cup showdown in Sweden, his 12th World Cup win overall.
Croatia's Ivica Kostelić went from success to success in sensational style. With victory in Alta Badia (ITA) plus three second and two third places, he was the most successful Fischer racer in the 08l09 season. After his podium finish in the Combined race in Kitzbühel (AUT), Kostelić managed to hold on to his lead in the overall World Cup until shortly before the end. Regrettably, severe back problems prevented the ambitious racer from finishing among the top places again and he was also unable to compete at the World Championships in France.
WCH gold shining from the Fischer ranks
The highlight for the Fischer Team this year came from a German girl who wrote an incredible success story. Going in to the race with two podium finishes to her name, it was Kathrin Hölzl who won gold for Fischer at the World Championships in Val d'Isère. For many people this came as a surprise, but insiders knew that she was a force to be reckoned with because of her strong technical skills. She had her sights set on a medal even before the season began. It was thanks to her outstanding skills on steep and icy terrain that the medal for the racer from Berchtesgaden turned out to be a gold one. All in all, therefore, everything went to plan for Fischer, despite Kostelić not being able to compete in all races. Thanks to Hölzl's title, the Racing Team had good cause for celebration.
New Slalom star rewrites Fischer history books
With two triumphs in succession, there was another woman who caused nothing short of a sensation. Initially dismissed as a lucky winner, Sandrine Aubert went on to show that her first ever World Cup victory in Ofterschwang (GER) was more than just a flash in the pan. The French racer pulled out all the stops in the final Slalom race of the season in Åre, where she likewise finished on the top of the podium. The 26-year-old, who had previously never made it as far as the podium, gained a place among the elite racers with the fastest short turn and also earned herself a place in Fischer's history books: this World Cup victory was the first one ever in a women's Slalom race in the history of the company.
The podium placings of the Fischer team in the 08l09 season at a glance:
1st places: Sandrine Aubert (FRA): Slalom Ofterschwang, Slalom Åre; Ivica Kostelić (CRO): Slalom Alta Badia; Mario Matt (AUT): Slalom Åre.
2nd places: Ivica Kostelić (CRO): Giant Slalom Alta Badia, Combined Kitzbühel, Slalom Zagreb; Nicole Gius (ITA): Slalom Zagreb; Denise Karbon (ITA): Giant Slalom Maribor; Stephan Görgl (AUT): Giant Slalom Sestriere.
3rd places: Mario Matt (AUT): Slalom Levi; Kathrin Hölzl (GER): Giant Slalom Maribor; Ivica Kostelić (CRO): Slalom Wengen, Slalom Schladming; Marusa Ferk (CRO): Slalom Garmisch Partenkirchen.
More about Ivica KosteliĆ
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