KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia — On Saturday, Henrik Kristoffersen emerged as the frontrunner in the initial run of a men’s World Cup giant slalom event, closely pursued by Marco Odermatt. Both skiers appeared poised to dominate once more at the Kranjska Gora course in Slovenia.
The Norwegian and Swiss athletes have each clinched victories in three out of the six giant slalom races on the challenging Podkoren track since 2019. Kristoffersen, who was crowned world champion in 2019, managed a 0.15-second advantage over Odermatt, setting his sights on his first win in this category since March 2022 at the same venue.
Kristoffersen is currently third in the seasonal rankings, trailing 81 points behind Marco Odermatt, the leading Olympic and three-time World Cup giant slalom champion from Switzerland. Meanwhile, Joan Verdu from Andorra held the third position going into the second run of the day, needing to overcome a 0.52-second deficit. No other athlete managed to finish within eight-tenths of a second of Kristoffersen’s leading time.
Raphael Haaser of Austria was the top performer from his country, placing eighth in his first competitive appearance since earning a world championship title two weeks ago in Saalbach-Hinterglemm.
The Austrian men’s skiing contingent faces a challenging period, with no victories in their last 33 World Cup events. Their previous winless streak of this magnitude dates back to the 1991-92 season, which saw them go 34 races without a win.
