The first five drivers in the first round are exclusively Swiss and Norwegian. Meilard not only kept second-placed Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen (+0.27 seconds) in check, but also relegated superstar Marco Odermatt (+0.34 seconds) to third place. This achievement is important because Odermatt has been unbeaten on the Chuenisbärgli for three years.
Across seasons, the leader in the overall World Cup won 14 of the last 17 World Cup giant slaloms. The Austrians’ balance sheet is in contrast. The last red-white-red RTL winner was Marco Schwarz at the end of February 2023 in Palisades Tahoe. This success was the only one for Ski Austria in the last 52 World Cup RTLs since Marcel Hirscher’s victory in Adelboden in 2019.
Meillard pulls through
Meillard and Kristoffersen had a good run and were able to keep their pace well to the finish, in contrast to Schwarz. The 29-year-old from Carinthia made a mistake in the upper part, then had difficulty gaining momentum before he failed to catch the approach to the finish slope and crossed the line in 1.34 seconds.
A time that was ultimately enough for eleventh place. In the ORF interview, Schwarz was not dissatisfied with his run: “There were positive things. In some passages the swing wasn’t so good because my buttocks were too far back. But if I avoid that in the second round, then something is possible.”
1st DG: Marco Schwarz (AUT)
Marco Schwarz was the best Austrian after the first round in eleventh place.
-Feller doesn’t get going
Manuel Feller, who was struggling with himself after his two failures in the slalom in Madonna di Campiglio and Adelboden, both after a good run shortly before the finish, was unable to find his way into the race either on Sunday, when there was bright sunshine in contrast to the foggy Saturday Track. He seemed to be struggling across the slopes.
1st DG: Manuel Feller (AUT)
Manuel Feller couldn’t shake the bad experiences from the slalom in the giant slalom.
The 32-year-old Tyrolean crossed the finish line 2.70 seconds behind and, like Patrick Feurstein (+2.34 seconds), had to worry about qualifying for the decision at that point. Stefan Brennsteiner fared even worse with start number nine. The 33-year-old from Salzburg slipped off the track in the upper part and caused a longer interruption.
Swiss
