Ski racer Linus Straßer was surprisingly eliminated in the first run of the night slalom in Schladming. The man from Munich only made it to the second pole on the legendary Planai before he threaded it in and threw his hands over his head in disbelief.

"It's going so fast. Of course it's a shame, bitter," said Straßer, who couldn't really explain his failure. "But it's part of it. I can't change it anymore and check it off for myself." Nonetheless, no one can take away the mostly good results in January. He is looking forward to the upcoming slalom in Chamonix on February 4th and the following World Championships in Courchevel and Méribel from February 6th to 19th.

Straßer won the atmospheric event in Austria last winter. After his strong results in the previous season, he was one of the favorites for the podium places in Schladming. The 30-year-old finished in the top four in four of the previous five runs. At the World Cup on the Ganslernhang in Kitzbühel last Sunday, he only missed the podium by a hundredth of a second.