Timon Haugan won the Night Slalom in Schladming, the last Slalom before the Saalbach Alpine World Ski Championships, in a thrilling finale in front of 22,500 spectators and claimed his second triumph of the season and his third one in the Alpine Ski World Cup. Manuel Feller finished in second place, 0.20 seconds behind Haugan. Fabio Gstrein rounded up the podium in third place 0.67 seconds off the pace.
"This is crazy. This is the best one so far. Schladming is just different. Last year when I had my first it was different, I didn’t expect it. It’s different when you know you can win and then you actually do it. Then it feels even better somehow," Haugan said.
"Today I was really working with my head to only focus on the skiing and not be like, ‘Oh, I want to get revenge from Kitzbühel’. I just kept telling myself, ‘Keep moving forward, move to the outside ski’. Over and over again, really repeat that and don’t think about winning. Just think about the skiing," he added.
The 22,500 fans packed into the Planai Stadium were delighted to watch Manuel Feller and Fabio Gstrein secured the first Slalom podium of the season for the Austrian Team.
The Austrian Slalom Team last had a poorer season start in 1984-1985, when Robert Zoller secured his first podium finish in the tenth race.
Feller, who started the season as defending champion in the Slalom Alpine Ski World Cup, had only achieved until today a fourth place in Val d'Isere as his best result.
"It was a tough fight, all over the season and of course the second run too. So, I am super proud of myself, about my second run today. I found my balance and found the way that I am risking a bit more. Super happy with the podium and that I can share it with my teammate Fabio, with his first podium ever," Feller said.
Fabio Gstrein, climbed up from seventh place in the first run onto the Alpine Ski World Cup podium for the first time.
"That's really cool, first podium at home, in Schladming. I didn't expect it to work out today with the two mistakes, so having a result like that is quite impressive," Gstrein said.
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