DOUBLE VICTORY IN KRANJSKA GORA, WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MEDALS IN TRONDHEIM
What a delightful surprise! The VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports team gifted founder Marcel Hirscher the most successful race weekend ever for his 36th birthday. Henrik Kristoffersen dominated both races in Kranjska Gora, securing the first tech double of his career. In the slalom, he and Timon Haugan achieved a historic first – a one-two victory on VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports skis. Meanwhile, at the Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, Andreas Wellinger and Nordic combined athlete Vinzenz Geiger had already collected two silver and one bronze medal.
Happy Birthday, Deer Founder – Happy Birthday to you! Marcel Hirscher was thrilled: “This is incredible – the team couldn’t have given me a better gift.” And even before the World Cup crystal globes for the technical disciplines are awarded in Sun Valley in two weeks, one thing is already clear: this will be the most successful World Cup winter for his team since its founding three years ago.
Henrik Kristoffersen is in power mode. In Kranjska Gora, he did what he loves most – “winning races.” The challenging conditions on the legendary Podkoren slope in Slovenia suited him perfectly: on Saturday, he triumphed in the giant slalom, and on Sunday, he won the slalom ahead of his teammate Timon Haugan. The dynamic duo couldn’t have given Marcel Hirscher a better birthday tribute: with his 32nd and 33rd World Cup victories, Kristoffersen not only achieved his first-ever tech double – winning both the giant slalom and slalom at the same venue in the same weekend – but he also matched team boss Marcel Hirscher’s Slovenian record. Both have now won four giant slaloms and two slaloms on the Podkoren slope, standing on the podium a total of 15 times. Marcel Hirscher summed it up: “That’s quite an impressive record over such a long period – it really seems to be the hill for Henrik, Ted Ligety, and me. We’ve all won here six times.”
This favorable math puts Henrik Kristoffersen in the director’s chair for a thrilling season finale in the remaining four technical races. In slalom, he continues to wear the red bib with a solid 77-point lead over Clément Noël, while his victory in Kranjska Gora has brought him within just 41 points of Marco Odermatt in the giant slalom standings. Now, the final countdown begins, with another tech double in Norway’s Hafjell followed immediately by the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, USA. Timon Haugan is particularly excited about racing in front of his home crowd in the far north, while Henrik Kristoffersen reflects:
I’ve lived in Salzburg for so long now that I actually feel more at home racing in Austria than in Norway.
Regardless of the location, one thing is certain even before the small crystal globes for the technical disciplines are awarded: the third World Cup winter since the founding of Marcel Hirscher’s ski brand, VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports, will be by far the most successful, thanks to the victories and podium finishes of Henrik Kristoffersen and Timon Haugan.
Success at VAN DEER-Red Bull Sports is no longer limited to alpine skiing. At the Nordic Ski World Championships in Trondheim, ski jumper Andreas Wellinger congratulated company founder Marcel Hirscher with a silver medal. Meanwhile, Nordic combined athlete Vinzenz Geiger timed his peak form perfectly for the season’s highlight, already securing silver and bronze medals. Selina Freitag became the runner-up in the women's individual competition on the normal hill at the World Championships.
