Brennsteiner third

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Only Marco Odermatt (m.) was faster than Patrick Feurstein (l.) and Stefan Brennsteiner.(Bild: GEPA)

Patrick Feurstein came second in Val d'Isere.(Bild: GEPA)

Incredible race to catch up by ÖSV skier Patrick Feurstein! The man from Vorarlberg raced from 24th place to second place in the giant slalom in Val d'Isere. Victory went to Marco Odermatt, with Feurstein's ÖSV colleague Stefan Brennsteiner in third.

Only Marco Odermatt prevented an Austrian double victory in the giant slalom in Val d'Isere. The Swiss high-flyer saved a mini lead over Patrick Feurstein (+0.08 sec.) and Stefan Brennsteiner (+0.12) on Saturday as visibility deteriorated. In the first four technical races, the ÖSV men had not managed to finish on the podium. Now they even managed it in the form of the first double podium in the giant slalom for almost seven years.

The final result: 

Feller eliminated again
In January 2018 in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Marcel Hirscher won ahead of Manuel Feller. For the latter, a series of retirements continued on Saturday. The Tyrolean also failed to finish in his fourth race of the season. Feurstein used the favorable weather conditions to jump from 24th place to his first career podium. Fourth-placed Swiss Luca Aerni (+0.23) even made up 26 places in the light sunshine.

Manuel Feller left the course in a huff, he was in no mood for interviews.(Bild: GEPA)

"It's unbelievable that I'm standing there now. Val d'Isere is always a bit crazy, but today is even crazier for me personally," said Feurstein. One week after his cousin Lukas Feurstein (super-G third in Beaver Creek), the 28-year-old also achieved a World Cup coup. "I always wanted to be on the podium. He showed me how it's done and it's cool when I can follow suit as a big cousin."

Patrick Feurstein(Bild: GEPA)

"Snowstorm" on the Face de Bellevarde
Brennsteiner remained extremely stable as half-time fourth behind Odermatt, Henrik Kristoffersen (ultimately 5th) and Loic Meillard (9th). "It was really challenging in the snowstorm, but the piste was better than I expected," said the man from Salzburg after his fourth World Cup podium finish. "I'm very happy, we've already been asked again after the crisis what's wrong with us. Now we are here."

Stefan Brennsteiner(Bild: GEPA)

Nobody else from the rest of the ÖSV team scored points. Feller paid for a line that was too straight in the morning with a 1.70 second deficit and missed a gate in the decision in the upper section. While the Tyrolean was cursing loudly, his ski pole also had to believe it. Raphael Haaser was eliminated after a skiing error in the first run. Lukas Feurstein, the super-G bronze medallist from Beaver Creek, did not make it past 39th place (+4.05) due to setup problems.

Odermatt managed a counterattack
Odermatt countered his season-long three giant slalom failures in a row in the style of a champion. "The relief is - logically - huge. To bring it down like that in such a difficult race, luck was on my side, but sometimes you need that." He celebrated his fourth victory in a row on the icy and steep Face de Bellevarde slope. With flat ground visibility, he initially regained his confidence with a controlled run. In the end, he still needed almost the entire lead over Feurstein (2.49).

Marco Odermatt(Bild: AP/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

The French weekend will be concluded on Sunday (10.00/13.00) with a slalom. Local hero Clement Noel, who has won both slaloms so far, could be missing. The Frenchman crashed into a gate on Saturday and then into the safety net. Pain in the ankle area had to be assessed. Two teeth are also said to have been damaged.