Marco Odermatt makes it onto the podium in third place in the last World Cup giant slalom of the winter despite a botched first run. The Norwegians celebrate a double victory. Loïc Meillard loses out to Odermatt by a wafer-thin margin in the night giant slalom in Schladming.
Alexander Steen Olsen and Henrik Kristoffersen were 60 and 21 hundredths faster respectively than Odermatt, who was only in twelfth place after the first run. Loïc Meillard (4th) missed out on the podium as half-time leader by one hundredth of a second.
The 23-year-old Steen Olsen and Kristoffersen, who is seven years older, had already triumphed in this order at the season opener in Sölden. Atle Lie McGrath, who had to settle for 10th place on Tuesday evening, even ensured a Norwegian triple victory back then.
After his victories in Val d'Isère, Alta Badia and Adelboden, Odermatt was once again beaten in a giant slalom. However, the man from Nidwalden could be satisfied with 3rd place in view of his unsuccessful first run. He was nine tenths behind Meillard after half the course. Although the bottom section of the course did not go according to plan in the second run, he still made it onto the podium.
1000th podium finish for the Swiss alpine men
Odermatt set a Swiss milestone with his 80th podium finish. According to the federation, it was the 1000th World Cup podium for the Swiss alpine men.
Meillard could also have achieved this. The man from Neuchâtel, who achieved his first World Cup victory two years ago in the giant slalom in Schladming, coped best with the difficult conditions in the first run of the last giant slalom before the World Championships, which was shortened due to wet snow, rain and fog, but slipped just behind the podium in the second run.
Four or five Swiss in the World Championship giant slalom?
Thomas Tumler and Luca Aerni finished 19th and 22nd, meaning that of the healthy Swiss, only Tumler and Aerni met Swiss-Ski's selection criteria alongside the defending champion Odermatt and Meillard. It remains to be seen whether the federation will still award the fifth starting place. Fadri Janutin, who would have needed a place in the top 8, was eliminated in the first run. Gino Caviezel, who would have fulfilled the requirement, will miss the title fights due to injury.
The last slalom before the World Championships is scheduled for Wednesday in Schladming. The first run starts at 5.45 pm, the second at 8.45 pm.
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