Interviews with Linus Straßer usually have something profound. The German ski racer chooses his words carefully, preferring to give his answers a few seconds more.

"It's my career. It's my life. It's all good the way it went. And it's all good the way it comes," said the athlete from TSV 1860 Munich at the Alpine World Championships in France, lost in thought.

Nobody knows how it will be in the World Cup slalom today (from 10 a.m. / ARD and Eurosport). But it is clear that Straßer is a candidate for gold, silver or bronze. The three-time World Cup winner has worked hard to earn his favorite status in the most winding of the alpine disciplines.

The development towards becoming the absolute top driver took years. "Even if it wasn't quite visible on the list of results, I always took one step ahead of the other," said the technology specialist, speaking of a "huge process". Many hours of work, analysis and self-reflection lie behind the German. He doesn't want to miss the path.

Good mix of attack and control

Strasser does not mourn disappointments for long. "I could be really upset that I was eliminated at Gudiberg (Garmisch-Partenkirchen), but that's part of my career. And it's also part of my career that I won in Schladming (2022)," said the German. All of these experiences made him the athlete he is today.

The Upper Bavarian has stabilized technically. He makes far fewer mistakes than he used to, hits the turns and has found a good mix of attack and control. "I know where I can get time and where it's smart to just keep up the pace," said Straßer.

After Alexander Schmid's gold medal in the parallel race and Lena Dürr's bronze in the slalom, Munich wants the German Ski Association to celebrate the conclusion of the World Cup for a third time. But even a blunder would hardly frustrate Straßer. After all, everything is fine the way it comes.