1:44.72. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the men’s season-opening giant slalom in Sölden on Sunday by 0.48 seconds from Loïc Meillard. Marco Odermatt was third, 0.01 behind Meillard. River Radamus was fourth at 0.82.
| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Time / Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Pinheiro BraathenBRA | BRA | 1:44.72 |
| 2 | Loïc MeillardSUI | SUI | +0.48 |
| 3 | Marco OdermattSUI | SUI | +0.49 |
| 4 | River RadamusUSA | USA | +0.82 |
Conditions
Wind forced the start lower, and both runs were under a minute. A shorter course compresses the field. The time differences come from fewer turns, so any mistake costs proportionally more. The track was rutted. Most of the time was lost in the middle section and over the rollers. Those are the places where a GS skier has to stay on the edge while the terrain tries to throw him off it.
Where it was won
Pinheiro Braathen led the first run by 0.24 from Meillard, with Stefan Brennsteiner third and Odermatt fourth, more than half a second back. In the second run Odermatt went into the lead by 0.33. Meillard then beat him by 0.01. Pinheiro Braathen, last out with 0.24 in hand, did not protect it. He extended it to 0.48.
Radamus was 15th and 1.15 back after the first run. He went into the lead before the top skiers came down and finished fourth. Freddy Carrick-Smith was 12th for his first World Cup points. Atle Lie McGrath and Marco Schwarz both went out.
Numbers
- 4: consecutive giant slalom wins for Pinheiro Braathen, counting his Olympic gold at Milano Cortina.
- 2: Sölden wins, six years apart. The first, in 2020, was for Norway. He did not finish here last year.
- 47: Odermatt’s World Cup GS podiums, the most by a Swiss racer, ahead of Michael von Grünigen and Vreni Schneider.
- Meillard’s previous best in Sölden: fifth.
Last season Pinheiro Braathen took the GS globe from Odermatt on the final day. Today he started the new season by beating him again. The men’s slalom specialists go to Levi on 15 November. Copper Mountain follows on 28–29 November.