The two Austrians Stefan Brennsteiner and Manuel Feller, who were in second and fourth place at halftime, fell behind in the second round following making mistakes.
The two ÖSV athletes had hardly been able to train for giant slalom beforehand due to physical problems and had to rely on their routine. This plan worked in the first round, but in the end Brennsteiner only ended up in 19th place and Feller in 27th place. The Tyrolean feller was already in the snow in the final following a mistake in front of the steep slope, but was able to avoid a failure. The best Austrian was Raphael Haaser in 15th place, Patrick Feurstein was 18th, like last time in Alta Badia.
Poor visibility due to fog and wet, soft snow
Odermatt, on the other hand, showed off his top form in his favorite discipline, even in poor visibility due to fog and on partly damp, soft snow. Due to the fog, the route was shortened before both rounds and the reserve start had to be used in each case. The running time was just under a minute.
Odermatt was the first person since Hermann Maier in 2001 to achieve the giant slalom hat trick on the Chuenisbärgli. Like the Salzburger, he won three consecutive editions of the classic in the Bernese Oberland. The only racer to achieve this in the slalom was Marcel Hirscher, who triumphed in Adelboden in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
The expectant father Alexis Pinturault did not start for “family reasons,” as a FIS spokeswoman said. His wife Romane is expecting the couple’s first child; the due date was originally set for February.
