After more than two years, his last win was in December 2020 in Alta Badia, Ramon Zenhäusler is back on top of the podium. He set the second best time in the first run and was the only one of the top riders who also managed a flawless performance on the "Verte des Houches" in the second one.
After finishing second in both Slaloms in Chamonix on 30 and 31 January 2022, and been back in the podium in Schladming, Ramon Zenhäusern won the last race before the 2023 FIS World Alpine Ski Championhips in Courchevel-Méribel.
"It's just amazing. And it's even nicer because I had a difficult last season with many injuries — shoulder problem, back problems. I fight back step by step from position 25 at the beginning of the season. Step by step, and now I'm at the top and it's so beautiful to win a World Cup race here", Zenhaeusern said.
AJ Ginnis from Greece started the race with bib number 45. In the first run he was 23. The 28-year-old Greek-American athlete finished in second place after setting the best time in the second run to climb 21 positions in final classification of today's Slalom. He is the first skier from Greeceland to finish in a Alpine Ski World Cup podium.
"Absolutely unbelievable. I forgot everything when Daniel Yule crossed the finish line. Wow, I can't believe I'm on the podium. I'm 28 years old, I've had to claw my ass back here so many times and for it to finally go off, just wow. I don't think it's hit me yet. It might take a couple hours, a couple days maybe, to realise what just happened", Ginnis said.
Ginnis, who grew up partly in the Salzburg region and turned pro in the US, had never finished in the top 10.
"I learned to ski in Greece, at the age of twelve I was at SC Kaprun, then I went to America", he added.
Daniel Yule finished in third position. Yule has won the World Cup slalom events at Madonna di Campiglio and Kitzbühel this season, but today is his first podium finish without winning. Before today his best result in Chamonix was a 15th place.
"Chamonix is maybe not my favourite slope, it's a bit flat for me, but to finally get a podium here, it feels really good. Five or six years ago nobody would have believed that I could be on the podium in Chamonix. But I've improved in the last few years on flatter terrain, I can be fast anywhere. I live an hour from here, I trained here. I fought well, even if the four hundredths in second place were very close. However, Ramon was unbeatable today", said Yule.
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