Tobias Müller becomes second after a jury decision, Daniela Maier ranks third.
Sensation silver at the green table for Tobias Müller, bronze for Daniela Maier: The German SkiRossers exceeded their expectations at the World Cup in St. Moritz. During the fashioned World Cup leader Florian Wilmsmann in the quarter-finals failed, two “problem children” of the German team jumped into the breach.
The Maier Olympic 3rd had recently struggled with knee problems and a form crisis, Müller had been operated on the hip in summer and had to take a break in December. “Of all things, the Tobi, with whom we expected the least – he drove crazy today,” said sports director Heli Herdt and emphasized: “A bronze, a silver: We have already achieved our goal.” Especially thanks to Müller.
“I’m just overjoyed, for me it is also a surprise,” said Müller, who initially had to live through a little drama. In the final, the 32-year-old blatant outsider was pushed out of the course by the Frenchman Youri Duplessis-Kergomard in a left curve, giving a goal and finished fourth. The jury, however, checked the run and finally put Müller in second place behind Olympic champion Ryan Regaz from Switzerland.
“I was really angry at first,” Müller described his feelings after crossing the finish line – but after a few minutes he broke out. For the German Skicrossers he won the fourth World Cup medal shortly after Maier, for the Allgäu itself it is already the eighth: Between 2011 and 2015 he had become seven times world champion in Telemark, and he has only been driving ski cross since 2016. His advance into the final was already a surprise: in qualification he had only ranked 29th.
Daniela Maier was also too bronze from the house after her journey: Immediately after the finish line, she stormed towards the new world champion Fanny Smith, with whom she was subsequently placed in third place after the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. “It feels mega, I’m relieved, mega happy, the Tobi also silver, perfect,” she said. However, the German SkiRossians wanted to help themselves up a big celebration: “We are preparing for the team competition,” said Müller. Means: to the competition on Saturday.
Maier won the first medal of a German ski chic since Alexandra Grauvogl 2007. Müller followed Wilmsmann, who also won silver in Georgia in 2023. In his run with Müller, Tim Hronek and defending champion Simone Deromedis from Italy, the fellow faithunculated World Cup leader from Italy missed the third hundredth of the semi-finals.