KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia — The opening round of the men’s World Cup giant slalom saw Henrik Kristoffersen taking the lead ahead of Marco Odermatt, as they both prepared to extend their strong record in the Slovenian venue. The two skiers have each secured three victories out of the six giant slalom events held at the Podkoren course since 2019.
Kristoffersen, who clinched the world champion title in 2019, managed to complete his run 0.15 seconds quicker than Odermatt. He is determined to achieve his first victory in this category since his triumph at this very course in March 2022. Currently, the Norwegian skier stands third in the overall season standings, trailing 81 points behind Odermatt, who is not only an Olympic champion but also a three-time World Cup giant slalom titleholder from Switzerland.
Joan Verdu from Andorra secured the third spot, needing to overcome a gap of 0.52 seconds in the later run on Saturday, whereas no other competitors managed to finish within eight-tenths of a second of Kristoffersen’s leading time.
Raphael Haaser emerged as the top-ranked Austrian contender, finishing in eighth place. This marks Haaser’s first competition after earning gold on home territory in Saalbach-Hinterglemm two weeks prior. The Austrian men’s team faces a challenging season, having yet to claim a victory in any of the 33 World Cup races since Manuel Feller’s slalom win in February 2024, making it the longest winless stretch since the 1991-92 season which saw 34 consecutive events without a win.
