Raphael Haaser is Vice World Champion


“On days like these” resounded through the arena and probably summed up the events of Friday's Super G in Saalbach better than words could have done. After a rollercoaster ride of emotions, Tyrolean Raphael Haaser sensationally won World Championship silver and was crowned runner-up in the Super-G..

2025-02-07

The day was supposed to be an unforgettable one for Raphael Haaser, but the omens were anything but good. The Tyrolean missed a large part of the season so far with a knee injury and only returned to fitness with a bang in Kitzbühel, where he finished on the podium in the Super-G. The Achensee native received further bad news the day before the race when it was announced that his sister Ricarda had suffered a serious injury in the women's super-G in Saalbach. We would like to take this opportunity to wish Ricarda all the best and a speedy recovery.

But despite all the bad omens, or perhaps precisely because of them, Raphael Haaser put in a sensational race. With bib number 10, he started only two numbers behind the Swiss Marco Odermatt, who once again managed to conjure up an almost perfect run on the slope. The spectators in the finish area, along the course and watching on TV were amazed when they saw the Austrian's first split times.

With only a minimal gap to Odermatt and a clear lead on the places behind, the Tyrolean made the race more exciting than some would have liked. In the end, second place was on the scoreboard, exactly one second behind Odermatt. It was already clear at this point that this could be enough for a podium result, as Haaser hardly made any mistakes and showed an extremely aggressive line.

And that proved to be the case. None of the other athletes in the starting field were able to pose a threat to Haaser's magnificent run and so he could no longer be displaced from second place. Completing the podium alongside Marco Odermatt as the new world champion was Adrian Smiseth Sejersted from Norway with the bronze medal.


Congratulations, Raphi! We are proud of you.