In a crazy giant slalom thriller, Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen beat his compatriot Henrik Kristoffersen and high-flyer Marco Odermatt and made it shake. The Swiss initially stayed on the Sulzig Planai, but came back completely unexpectedly in the second run.
The Norwegian Steen Olsen celebrated his second win of the season in front of 20,000 fans in front of 20,000 fans in front of 20,000 fans. In the constant rain and in the case of partly dense fog, the 23-year-old prevailed on the weather-related route against the four-time Schladming winner Kristoffersen (+ 0.39 seconds) and the Swiss Odermatt (+0.60 s).
Steen Olsen: “Such a crazy race”
“It was such a crazy race, it was the shortest race of the World Cup”cheered Steen Olsen on the BR microphone: “You couldn’t make too many mistakes, I got it. It was fantastic.”
Loic Meillard went away empty -handed in the end. In the first round with start number 5, the Swiss was impressively driven to the 1. The competition bites their teeth on the soulful course of the 28-year-old. The Norwegians Steen Olsen (0.11 seconds behind) and Kristoffersen (+0.24 s), who love the salty snow, lurked directly behind the Swiss.
Odermatt’s unexpected hussar ride
Again surprisingly far away from the halftime, Odermatt. The giant slalom winner of the past three years was in twelve place with nine tenths behind and had to take risk in the second round. Odermatt drove as expected, but on the soft snow of the Planai, the 27-year-old’s journey was again too round. He shook his head at the finish line.
But Schladming would not be sladding if the previous year’s winner did not leave one driver behind after the next. In the Leaders Box, the success -spoiled Confederation could hardly believe his luck. “I am very lucky in Schladming. I was rewarded for not so good skiing “said Odermatt about his performance on BR television.
Due to the rain, the slopes became increasingly wavy, the drivers placed in front of Odermatt, sometimes lost to it in the second round over a second. At the finish, it always shone red. To Kristoffersen and the cheeky -driving Steen Olsen finished.
Marco Odermatt at the giant slalom in Schladming
Luitz as the only German
With veteran Stefan Luitz, only a German starter made it into the second round. The 32-year-old, who is not in the DSV squad and instead trains in the Global Racing Team, came over the finish line as 29th behind the finish line.
The other German drivers did not cope on the soap route and in the middle of a dense fog wall. Fabian Stockinger left after the first time, Anton Tremmel and Fabian Gratz drove the music significantly after over two seconds and were eliminated.
Nightrace moist and dieben
Rain, fog and mild temperatures made the traditional race again under floodlights. The organizers got the route in good condition at the beginning, but the piste had strong grooves after the first ten runners. At less than 50 seconds, the course was also significantly shorter than with other giant slalom races and no mistakes. The start had been relocated to escape the snow that may be used up.
Before Schladming: Odermatt in top shape
Odermatt has been the giant gate gate burner this winter – if not quite as confident as in the previous year. In the 2023/24 season, he won all giant slalom races to the end of the end in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, where the Ski World Cup will take place from the coming weekend.
This season, Odermatt won three times in a row: in December in Val d’Iere and Alta Badia and in January at the home race in Adelboden. In Schladming, he now had to be satisfied with third place.