SCHOENFERDER Rainer (AUT) Web
13.06.1977 Bleiburg
Klub: SC PETZEN (Kärnten)
176cm / 85kg
SKI: Fischer
BOOTS: Fischer
BINDING: Fischer
Todtnau00 SL/1st Todtnau00 SL/1st Podio
Todtnau 00 SL/ 1st Penta Photo
Kitzbuhel02 SL/1st ParkCity03 SL/1st
Kitzbuhel 02 SL/ 1st Park City 03 SL/1st
Kitzbuhel03 SL/2nd ShigaKogen03 SL/1st
Kitzbuhel 03 SL/2nd Shigakogen 03 SL/1st
World Cup 2004 Slalom Overall Champion
Soelden 06 GS / 3rd Chamonix SC / 3rd with Lexxam
SchoenferderFace World Cup Ranking
General
1999/63rd, 2000/25th, 2001/31st, 2002/26th, 2003/16th, 2004/10th, 2005/14th,
2006/14th, 2007/34th,
Special
2000 SL/7th, 2001 SL/9th, GS/36th, 2002 SL/5th, 2003 SL/3rd. 2004 SL/1st.
2005 SL/2nd, GS/21st. 2006 SL/14th, GS/13th. 2007 SL/26th, GS/18th, SC/8th.
World Championships
2003 St.Moritz SL/DNF, K/10th.
2005 Bormio. SL/2nd, GS/8th.
2007 Are. GS/25th, SC/16th, SL/DNF.
Olympic Games
2002 Salt Lake City K/4th, SL/DNF.
2006 Torino. K/3rd, GS/8th, SL/3rd.
World Cup - 5 w. (5 SL)
1. SL: Todtnau 00, Kitzbuhel 02, Park City 03, Shigakogen 03, Adelboden 04,
2. SL: Wengen 01, Kranjska Gora 03, Kitzbuhel 03, Park City 04, Wengen 04,
Sestriere 04, Park City 04, Flachau 05,
K: Val d'Isere 06(SC), Cahmonox 06(SC),
3. GS: Soelden 06,
SL: Madonna 01, Kitzbuhel 04, Beaver Creek 05, Lenzerheide 05,
SC: Beaver Creek 07,
4. SL: Kranjska Gora 99, Aspen 02-II, Wengen 02, Schladming 02, Chamonix 04,
St.Anton 04, Kitzbuhel 05, Schladming 05, Kranjska Gora 05, 06,
5. SL: Kitzbuhel 01, Lillehammer 03, Schladming 04, Kranjska Gora 04, Kitzbuhel 06,
Levi 07,
6. GS: Soelden 05, Alta Badia 07,
SL: Wengen 00, Adelboden 02, Madonna 04,
7. SL: Bormio 03,
8. GS: Beaver Creek 07,
SL: Bormio 00, Are 06, Kitzbuhel 07,
SC: Reiteralm 07,
9. SL: Madonna 00, Kranjska Gora 00, Sestriere 05, Chamonix 05,
GS: Kranjska Gora 03, Alta Badia 04-I,
10. GS: Yong Pyong 00, Adelboden 04, Beaver Creek 06, Alta Badia 06,
SL: Are 01, Shigakogen 06-I,
Austria's Rainer Schoenfelder, the surprising winner in today's slalom, completed another weekend sweep for the impressive Austrian ski team. In an aggressive come-from-behind success, Schoenfelder beat Norway's Kjetil Aamodt, the leader in the slalom World Cup standings, by 9/100 of a second. Veteran Ole Kristian Furuseth (NOR) was 3rd at 13/100.

The 22-year-old Schoenfelder, 9th after the first leg, achieved an outstanding second run down the steep slalom slope at this Black Forest resort to score the powerful Austrian squad's sixteenth success this season. For the first time, Schoenfelder used a short ski of 1.70m, produced last week by Atomic and never before used in racing. The "Red-and-Whites" now have six consecutive World Cup wins since Kitzbuhel. With fifteen events left, they are on course to improve their record of 25 wins in 37 races from a single season.

"For sure, it was a nice surprise for me," said the Austrian who had never before reached the podium in a World Cup race. His best result before Sunday was a 4th place last year in Slovenia's Kranjska Gora. "I believed in my chances to reach the podium this winter because I have been very consistent since the start of the season," he added.

The aggressive Schoenfelder, from the southern Austrian province of Carinthia, had an average first run which left him 89/100 of a second behind the leader. But on the afternoon leg, held in warm, spring-like conditions, he was able to make the best of the snow, which then worsened for the leaders from the first run.

"It was good for me that the race-jury decided to reverse the top-15 in the second run, instead of the top-30 as usual," said Schoenfelder. "The course was not too damaged when I started and I took a lot of risks to improve my position. I was aiming for the top-5 this time so I'm delighted by this success. I had nothing to lose."

Schoenfelder also said that his new carver skies had played a big role in his success. They are some 20cm shorter than what he's used to, but he had no problem adapting his technique. He is the latest surprise from Austria's rich stable of young talents. Two weeks ago 20-year-old newcomer Mario Matt upset all the favorites in only his third World Cup race, winning the treacherous slalom in Kitzbuhel. Matt, 12th after the first leg, finished 4th with a brilliant second run that was even faster than Schoenfelder's impressive second run. Switzerland's Didier Plaschy was the only top specialist who failed to end this seventh slalom of the season. He skied out in the second run.
Biorama Basel