With the first laps on the official World Championship cross-country skiing track together with the godfathers David Kreiner and Mario Stecher, the Nordic squad athletes of the Austrian Disabled Sports Association started their preparation for the Virtus Ski World Championships in the Olympic region Seefeld on December 8.
Under the direction of national coach Josef Hones, four athletes from Upper Austria and Tyrol are training in the World Cup arena in Seefeld until December 10 inclusive. For the World Championships for people with mental disabilities, which are being held on Austrian soil for the first time, both coaches and athletes have high expectations and even more motivation.
Gregor Knogler, Sigfried Mayr, Johann Wieser (all from Upper Austria) and Johannes Grander (T) did not miss the chance to get to know the “difficult course” in advance, according to the Nordic Director of the ÖSV and sponsor of the Virtus Ski World Championships, Mario Stecher.
A morning session with the national coach was followed at noon by the second training session with team Olympic champions Kreiner and Stecher, who were both enthusiastic about the level of the athletes as well as the team spirit and the atmosphere in the group.
When the Seefeld 2022 Virtus Ski World Championships open in 94 days in the World Cup-tested Olympic region, the Austrian squad, Alpine and Nordic, not only wants to use the home advantage, but also show the local fans and the sports world that – as Johannes Grander from Kitzbühel is convinced – anything can be achieved with “training, training and even more training”.
Photo Credits: © Jan Hetfleisch/Virtus World Ski Championships Seefeld 2022