The Austrian alpine ski team, often called the “Wunderteam,” faced a big blow on Saturday. Vincent Kriechmayr, the 2021 world champion, finished a disappointing 13th in the men’s downhill at Kitzbühel. The result hit him hard; devastation was written all over his face, and he didn’t hide his frustration when he spoke about it afterward.

The race, held on 24 January, was won by Italy’s Giovanni Franzoni, who clocked a time of 1 minute 52.31 seconds. Swiss star Marco Odermatt finished second, just 0.07 seconds behind. But Austria had experienced a historic miss: for the first time in the modern history of the Hahnenkamm downhill, no Austrian skier finished inside the top ten.

“It really bothers me. I’m too ambitious for that,” he said. “It’s going to take me time to get over it. After today, I’m no longer an Olympic hope.” Soon after, Kriechmayr decided to skip the next downhill race in Crans-Montana, choosing instead to return to training and reset.

For a skier known for his strength on the biggest stages, the admission felt like a breaking point. Kriechmayr was the best of the home team, but came in 13th place, nearly 1.5 seconds off the winning pace. Still, Kriechmayr issued an apology to the public, assuring fans that the team “will not give up anything.”

But behind him, the picture was even bleaker. Manuel Traninger finished 24th, Raphael Haaser 25th, and several others failed to reach the top 30.

But the reaction back home was unforgiving as well.

Austrian media were brutal in their assessment. Headlines spoke of humiliation and crisis, with OE24sport calling it a “Historic debacle! The Austrian alpine skiers are worse than ever!”

The numbers make the situation even more concerning. Austria has now gone 1,046 days without a downhill World Cup win. The wait feels endless for a country that once mastered this discipline.

Austria’s Alpine skiing legacy faces a test as the Olympics loom

Austria is the most successful country in Alpine skiing. The skiers of Austria have won the highest number of Olympic medals in alpine events with 128 medals. Among them, 40 are gold, 44 silver, and 44 bronze, the highest of all other countries in the history of the sport. This puts Austria substantially ahead in overall medals at the Games.

At the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships, Austria also sits at the top of the all-time medal table. From 1931 through 2025, Austrian athletes have won 100 gold medals and 310 total medals in individual events, far ahead of second-place Switzerland.

In the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup, Austria has been a powerhouse for decades. Austrian skiers have won 34 overall World Cup titles (17 men, 17 women) and recorded 926 individual race victories across all disciplines.

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Austrian skiers have dominated World Cups, World Championships and the Olympic Games since the 1950s. Great names such as Toni Sailer, Franz Klammer, Hermann Maier, and Marcel Hirscher grew into national heroes.

Since Austria has made this a high standard, even a performance such as the recent one at Kitzbühel, where no Austrian was even in the top ten in the downhill, looks like it went against expectations. However, this legacy will be put to the test soon.

The official Olympic men’s downhill will be held on 7 February 2026, which will give Austria an immediate opportunity to reclaim its power.