The Army Cross-Country Running Championships 2023 recently took place in Sankt Johann im Pongau in glorious sunshine and ideal running conditions. The best cross-country runners in the Austrian Armed Forces from all over Austria took part under the patronage of Command Support Battalion 2.
Franz Fuchs, Vice-Lieutenant of the Army Troop School in Salzburg, once again proved his dominance in the senior men’s category by leaving the competition behind him with an impressive time of 38:15 minutes. After a dynamic mass start, he quickly took the lead of the field and maintained this position until the finish. With a winning smile and the words “Either nobody dared to overtake me or I was really that fast”, he showed his joy and ease despite the tough competition.
Not far behind, Deputy Officer Dietmar Pripfl and Staff Sergeant Dieter Macher from the surveillance squadron showed their strength and secured the silver and bronze medals. In the general men’s category, Constable Kevin Eßbauer from Pioneer Battalion 2 in Salzburg beat his competitors with a time of 38:51 minutes, closely followed by Constable Marcel Sakoparnig from Pioneer Battalion 1 in Carinthia and Major Michael König from Jäger Battalion 17 in Styria, who also delivered strong times. Recruit Alexandra Lafer stood out in the women’s competition, winning the title of “Army Cross-Country Champion 2023” with a strong time of 49:22 minutes. She beat off strong competition from sergeant Jasmin Jedinger and sergeant Alina Amoser, both from Jäger Battalion 8 in Salzburg. https://militaeraktuell.at/draengt-dassault-airbus-aus-dem-fcas-programm/ “I would like to thank them for their participation, congratulate them on their special achievements and thank the organization, especially the Command Support Battalion 2 and the Army Sports Center for preparing and holding this Army Championship,” emphasized the military commander of Salzburg, Brigadier Peter Schinnerl. The event underlined the importance of sport and exercise in the Austrian Armed Forces (-> here you can find the latest army news), not only as a means to promote the fitness and readiness of soldiers, but also to promote an active and healthy society. The event reflects the efforts of the Federal Ministry of Defense to use sport as a basis for military tasks.
