Top talent Sam Maes hopes in Adelboden on new Wereldbekerpunten: My Austrian skivrienden are sometimes a little jealous that I for Belgium ski

More Sport The skitoekomst of Sam Maes looks very promising. In december, raced the 20-year-old Belgian – who is just about his whole life in Austria spent - to his first Wereldbekerpunten, also today in Adelboden is he aiming for the topdertig. Ensures Maes ever for a skihype in our country? “I dream of an olympic medal for Belgium.”

Unless you live on another planet is alive, you know that there are currently baking snow in the Alps. The scheduled downhill and super-G in the wereldbekercircuit of the women in the Austrian St. Anton this weekend by the sneeuwoverdaad cancelled. Bad luck for the ex-olympic champion, Lindsay Vonn: the 34-year-old American skidiva see her comeback and recordjacht on the 86 wereldbekerzeges of the Swede Ingemar Stenmark after a knee injury a week delayed.

The wereldbekerrace in slalom and giant slalom in the Swiss Adelboden this weekend. “Here is the the last days a thick, half a meter snow, but the slope is well under control. Now it is beautiful weather,” said Sam Maes, the day before the race. In his first world cup of 2019, hopes to Maes his form of last year. Maes was surprised last summer in Queenstown in New Zealand with four wins in giant slalom or slalomraces of the International Skifederatie (FIS). In the juniorenranking he climbed to the first place. And last month sprokkelde Maes first WB-points in Val d'isère and Saalbach. After Armand Marchant in 2016, he is only the second male Belgian who succeeds. (continue Reading below the photo of a dolblije Maes after his first WB-points in Val d'isère)

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Adelboden is an important appointment for Maes: “In every wereldbekerrace, the goal is to topdertig to finish up, then I can have a second round race. February is very busy with the world cup juniors there, there, mik I'm on the stage. At the world cup itself, I hope, towards the top-15 on the slide, because, by nationality, only four skiers are allowed to participate. We must wait and see how the form by then.”

Maes is well on the way to make himself a name in international skiing. Remarkably, of course, for a Belgian, but that is more by birth. Maes grew from the age of two in Austria. His parents left Belgium in 2000 and settled in Zell am See for a pension to be income. Maes got the skiing at an early age and attended the Austrian topsportschool. His strong progression in 2018, made the question of Austria or Maes is wanted to be naturalized only larger: “Everyone knows that I was in Belgium was born, but of course they see me in Austria also what if Austrian. I speak their dialect. In my age group, I was always very good, but not the best junior. That is last year has changed. No one had expected that it would happen so fast. After my results in New Zealand wanted Austria I certainly have. But I'm not that advanced. I wish always for Belgium skiing.” (continue Reading below the picture)