Alexander Steen Olsen of Norway claimed his second Audi FIS Ski World Cup title of the season and the third of his profession with a victory on a shortened Big Slalom course at Schladming, Austria, on Tuesday night time, January 28. Heavy rainfall and snowfall earlier within the day pressured organizers to use massive quantities of salt to keep up course circumstances. In response, race officers shortened the course by 15 gates, including one other layer of unpredictability for the athletes competing underneath the floodlights.
Steen Olsen thrived within the difficult circumstances, drawing on his expertise snowboarding in comparable climate in Norway. His first-run efficiency positioned him properly, and he executed a composed but aggressive second run to safe the win. He was joined on the rostrum by fellow Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen in second place, marking the primary time in historical past that two Norwegians have shared a Schladming Big Slalom World Cup podium. “It was both I can do it or it won’t be my day,” Steen Olsen mentioned after the race. “I simply accepted that and actually targeted on snowboarding the tracks and never caring concerning the gates a lot. It’s straightforward to lean into the gates, however the tracks are distant, and also you don’t get strain on the skis.”
His win in Schladming was particularly significant after struggling in slalom races earlier this season. Steen Olsen had completed fourth within the Schladming Big Slalom in each 2023 and 2024, making Tuesday’s victory a long-awaited breakthrough. “That was so extraordinarily good after a tricky Slalom interval, to lastly get an excellent good day,” he mentioned. “Particularly right here within the rain in Schladming, it’s superior.”
Kristoffersen, regardless of a stable efficiency, made small errors towards the tip of his second run that prevented him from overtaking Steen Olsen. His second-place end marked his 92nd World Cup podium, tying him with Austria’s Benjamin Raich for the fifth-most profession podiums in males’s World Cup historical past. “To start with, congratulations to Alexander – superb second run,” Kristoffersen mentioned. “I really feel just a little sorry for Loic as a result of he skied rather well. Each Alexander and Loic are invited to my wedding ceremony this summer time, so they’re actually good mates. It could have been cool with all three on the rostrum, however after all, congratulations to Marco who did a extremely good second run. When you have got that many wins, it’s not luck.”
Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt, who gained this race final 12 months after leaping from eleventh place to first with a dominant second run, couldn’t replicate that efficiency. After sitting in a tie for Twelfth following an error-prone first run, he fought again within the second run however in the end completed third, simply six-tenths of a second off the lead. His end result narrowly edged out countryman Loic Meillard, who completed fourth by a mere one-hundredth of a second. “I used to be in all probability the luckiest man of the day. It was such a good race, unbelievably tight. Huge, large luck on my aspect,” Odermatt mentioned. “The circumstances have been very tough, clearly. We aren’t used to snowboarding within the rain, and the slope was powerful to ski. You needed to change your setup and in addition your mindset just a little bit.”
Final 12 months’s total season winer is understood for balancing a number of disciplines, coming into Tuesday’s race contemporary off a Tremendous-G victory in Kitzbühel and a sixth-place end within the Downhill over the weekend. “That’s the large problem for an all-rounder. When you’re on Downhill skis for 2 weeks after which have in the future to modify to GS turns and mindset and all the things, it’s not straightforward. So I’ll take this podium,” Odermatt added.
River Radamus was the lone U.S. skier to complete each runs, together with his Twelfth-place end result marking his finest World Cup big slalom end of the season. Radamus tied for Twelfth with Brazilian-Norwegian skier Lucas Braathen. Radamus’ teammates Patrick Kenney, Isaiah Nelson, Bridger Gile, and Cooper Puckett have been unable to advance, nevertheless, the race offered priceless expertise on one of many tour’s most difficult and unpredictable tracks. With the World Championships approaching, Radamus’ efficiency in Schladming alerts a possible upswing in kind as he seems to construct momentum on the worldwide stage.
With yesterday’s victory, Steen Olsen moved into second place within the Big Slalom season standings, overtaking Kristoffersen. Odermatt nonetheless leads the standings by 71 factors, whereas Kristoffersen sits simply 10 factors behind Steen Olsen in third.
The races at Schladming proceed as we speak with a Slalom race.
