Schoeffmann and Payer repeat their 2016 Team PSL victory in Bad Gastein
Aug 31, 2018·Alpine Snowboard
Austrian mixed Sabine Schoeffmann and Alexander Payer have claimed victory in the 2017-18 season's second Parallel Team World Cup which was staged on the Bucheben slope in Bad Gastein, Austria as a parallel slalom race.
The couple from Carinthia therefore repeated its 2016 victory on the steep slope nestling at the foot of Stubnerkogel mountain right in the heart of the iconic village which has been hosting annual World Cup stops since 2001.
And as not even a handful venues can look back on such a long tradition, Payer pinned down the triumph correctly:
“I wasn't really happy with all of my riding today but this is not what the team event is all about. You need to deliver as a team. We did a great job today. Bad Gastein is a classic, it's our Wimbledon, so winning here is always special.”
Schoeffmann and Payer, the first ever duo winning a second parallel team event, came out successful of a duel with German mixed Ramona Hofmeister and Stefan Baumeister which was kind of over when Hofmeister, a little bit tired of the festivities which followed her yesterday's maiden World Cup win, did her only mistake of the weekend right after the start.
Being far behind, Baumeister, who had already underlined his comeback skills in the quarter finals catching up a gap of 0.69 seconds and turning it into a win of 0.01 didn't have a chance to accomplish this feat again.
In contrary he was remembered of 2016 when he also lost the final against the two Austrians, back then alongside Selina Joerg.
“Of course it's a bummer that I didn't get redemption for my loss here two years ago but I can live with it. It was my third podium finish in five team event starts. It's good for the self-esteem as the season hasn't been great for me yet,” the 2013 Junior World Champion said.
Securing the win on home soil Schoeffmann and Payer also took over the Team World Cup lead from their third ranked teammates Claudia Riegler and Andreas Prommegger who edged off yesterday's fourth ranked riders from Russia Natalia Sobolev and Dmitry Sarsembaev to another fourth place finish.
“I'm leaving Bad Gastein as leader of the PSL World Cup as well as the Team World Cup ranking. I have nothing to complain about,” stated Schoeffmann after the race.
The Alpine Snowboard World Cup tour will continue in Rogla, Slovenia next weekend with two parallel giant slalom events slated for January 20 and 21 with both races being the last official Olympic qualifier events for PyeongChang 2018.
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