KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia — Henrik Kristoffersen took the lead in the initial run of the men’s World Cup giant slalom, surpassing Marco Odermatt on Saturday, as both skiers seemed poised to maintain their strong performances in the Slovenian resort of Kranjska Gora.
The Norwegian and Swiss athletes have each claimed victory in three out of the six GS competitions held on the Podkoren course since 2019.
Kristoffersen, who claimed the world champion title in 2019, edged out Odermatt by 0.15 seconds. He is aiming to secure his first win in this discipline since his last victory at this venue in March 2022.
Currently, Kristoffersen is positioned third in the season standings, trailing by 81 points behind the leader Odermatt, who is the Olympic and three-time World Cup GS champion.
Andorra’s Joan Verdu holds third place, needing to close a gap of 0.52 seconds in the subsequent run on Saturday, with other competitors lagging by more than eight-tenths of a second from Kristoffersen’s leading time.
Raphael Haaser emerged as the highest-ranking Austrian, securing the eighth spot in his first competition since securing gold at home in Saalbach-Hinterglemm two weeks prior.
The Austrian men’s skiing team has not seen a victory in any of the 33 World Cup events since Manuel Feller clinched a slalom victory in February 2024, marking its longest winless streak since 1991-92, which also witnessed 34 consecutive unsuccessful attempts.
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