Sun-soaked German National Championships conclude in Garmisch

Five sun-soaked days of intense racing in Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER) at the end of March produced the 2019 German National Champions in downhill, super-G, alpine combined, giant slalom, and slalom. The speed races were claimed by the same athletes who dominate on the World Cup tour, while the tech races offered an opportunity for others to shine.

Kira Weidle and Josef "Pepi" Ferstl, fresh off career-defining seasons on the World Cup, claimed their respective titles in downhill during the opening competition of the series. Austria's Nadine Fest posted the fastest time in the ladies' super-G, but the German title went to runner-up Patrizia Dorsch who also won the alpine combined in the series. In the men's super-G, Dominik Schwaiger edged out Austria's Otmar Striedinger by just 0.08 seconds for both the race win and the German championship.

Fest continued her winning streak in the giant slalom race, but Veronique "Nicki" Hronek continued her return to top form following several seasons of injury to claim her third German title in the discipline by finishing in second place. Bastian Meisen was the surprise of the men's race as the European Cup youngster bested Alexander Schmid for his first-ever German title with the fastest second run of the day.

Dominik Stehle returned to the top step after podiuming in the national championships slalom race over the past three years. He outpaced Anton Tremmel in second and Linus Strasser in third, but Strasser did not leave the championships empty-handed after winning the alpine combined title earlier in the week. Lena Duerr, meanwhile, closed out the ladies' competition in the slalom with her first national title since 2016.

See full results here.