Alexander Steen Olsen secured an impressive win, leading a Norwegian one-two finish on the podium at the Giant Slalom Alpine Ski World Cup in Schladming. He beat his teammate Henrik Kristoffersen by 0.39 seconds. Marco Odermatt finished in third place 0.60 seconds behind.
In front of 15,000 fans, the Norwegian won on a shortened course to claim his third World Cup victory and his second in the Giant Slalom.
This is Steen Olsen's third podium finish of the season and his second victory, following his win in the Giant Slalom season opener in Soelden. The 23-year-old young talent gave Norway its sixth win of the season.
"I love racing in Austria, there are great spectators. A wonderful atmosphere. I made a mistake on the steep part and thought I couldn't do it. When I saw the green light at the finish, it was a very emotional moment," Steen Olsen said.
Henrik Kristoffersen achieved his 92nd World Cup podium, equaling Benjamin Raich for the fifth-highest number of career podiums in the Men's Alpine Ski World Cup.
"Firstly, congratulations to Alexander for an incredible second run. I feel a bit sorry for Loic as he skied exceptionally well. It would have been great to see all three on the podium, but of course, congratulations to Marco for an impressive second run. With that many wins, it’s certainly not by chance," Kristoffersen said.
Marco Odermatt, who finished in 12th position on the first run, pushed his teammate and first-run leader Loic Meillard down to fourth by a mere one-hundredth of a second.
"I was probably the luckiest guy of the day. It was such a tight race, unbelievably tight. Big, big luck on my side," Odermatt said.
According to Swiss-Ski's announcement on social media, Odermatt's podium in Schladming marked the 1000th podium finish for Swiss alpine men in the history of the Alpine Ski World Cup.
Odermatt (360 points) leads the Giant Slalom standings 71 points ahead of Alexander Steen Olsen (289) and Henrik Kristoffersen (279) after six out of the nine races scheduled on the 2024-2025 Alpine Ski World Cup calendar.
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