Published: 23.03.24
Innerhofer and Gritsch triumph with record-times!
In the men's category, the winner of the 26th Südtirol Gardenissima is Christof Innerhofer (ITA), with Simon Jocher (DEU) taking second place ahead of Alexander Schmid (DEU). Among the women, the winner is Franziska Gritsch (AUT), followed by local athlete Elisa Platino (ITA) and Katharina Liensberger (AUT).
For the fourth time, Christof Innerhofer crowns himself as the overall winner of the Südtirol Gardenissima with a record time of 3’29.74, proving that the course was particularly fast this year. In an interview shortly after crossing the finish line, Christof Innerhofer expresses his happiness, saying, "I am very pleased that at 39 years old, I can still keep up so well and continue to derive so much joy from skiing. The course was excellently prepared again and faster than ever before."
Race director Giovanni Kasslatter and his team of experts and snow specialists once again ensured the best slope conditions, giving all participants equal opportunities for a good placement. The 6 kilometers of slopes, from the summit of Seceda (2,518 m) to the finish line at Col Raiser (1,485 m), remained in excellent condition until the end of the race and proved to be particularly fast due to the ideal temperatures and early start time.
The men's race was won by Christof Innerhofer of South Tyrol with a time of 3’29.74, narrowly ahead of the Germans Simon Jocher (3’29.92) and Alexander Schmid with 3’30.52.
Among the women, Austrian Franziska Gritsch triumphed with an outstanding time of 3’37.51, followed by Elisa Platino from Merano with 3’39.28 and Austrian Katharina Liensberger with 3’47.51.
In the Ski Legends category for men, German Fredrik Norys positioned himself in first place with a time of 3’43.27, followed by Alexander Rabanser and Bastian Meisen. Among the women, once again, the local Verena Stuffer won with a time of 3’51.79 ahead of Isolde Kostner and Brigitte Kliment-Obermoser.