Schladming, Austria — Swiss skier Loic Meillard wowed the crowd by posting the quickest time in the first run of the men’s giant slalom World Cup race on a rainy Tuesday. His teammate, Marco Odermatt, who leads the overall World Cup standings, followed closely but was nine-tenths of a second behind.
Despite winning the last three giant slalom races and 15 out of the last 18, Odermatt struggled to find his groove. This race is the last giant slalom before next month’s world championships in nearby Saalbach-Hinterglemm.
Last year in Schladming, Odermatt was nearly a second behind after the first run but still came back to win with an impressive final run. This time, conditions were challenging. The rain made the course slippery, and low clouds forced organizers to lower the start gate, cutting run times by about 14 seconds.
Meillard, last year’s winner, clocked in at 51.43 seconds. He beat Norwegians Alexander Steen Olsen and Henrik Kristoffersen by 0.11 seconds and 0.24 seconds, respectively. Slovenia’s Zan Kranjec was just a tiny fraction behind in fourth place.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen is now racing for Brazil after switching from the Norwegian team. He will need to make up 1.22 seconds in the second run.
On a sad note, French skier Alexis Pinturault, a two-time Olympic bronze medalist in giant slalom, crashed during a super-G last Friday. He was airlifted from the course in Kitzbuehel. Unfortunately, he has a fracture in his right knee and will be out for the season. The French ski federation reported he will start rehabilitation in six weeks.
Make sure to stay tuned for the next exciting events in alpine skiing!
Check out this related article: 2026 World Cup Countdown: Key Insights into USMNT’s Journey 500 Days to Kickoff!
Source linkSports, 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Alpine skiing, Article, 118187776
