RTL in Val d'Isere

LIVE: Brennsteiner leads! Odermatt clearly beaten

Three Swiss racers can celebrate in Val d'Isere - Stefan Brennsteiner drops back to fifth place in the second run.(Bild: EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER)

Loic Meillard has secured victory in the giant slalom in Val d'Isere. He is at the head of a Swiss triple victory. Behind him are surprise man Luca Ärni (+0.18) and dominator Marco Odermatt (+0.33), who made some unusual mistakes. As did ÖSV ace Stefan Brennsteiner, who dropped back to fifth place after leading at half-time.

The Swiss ski racers claimed a triple victory in the giant slalom in Val d'Isere on Saturday. Loic Meillard came out on top in the French ski resort ahead of his compatriots Luca Aerni (+0.18 sec.) and Marco Odermatt (+0.33). Stefan Brennsteiner not only missed out on his second victory after leading at half-time, but also missed out on the podium by 14 hundredths of a second. The man from Salzburg is now 15 points behind Odermatt in second place in the discipline World Cup.

"It was catastrophic"
 Brennsteiner impressed in the first run, especially in the upper section. In the second run, however, the 34-year-old, like many other aces, was unable to cope with the twisting course and soft slope. "I didn't get the hang of it at all. As good as it felt in the first run, it was catastrophic now," explained Brennsteiner at the finish. "I didn't feel comfortable from the fourth or fifth gate, I never found my rhythm. Then it was a fight from top to bottom."

The veteran, who celebrated his redemptive premiere victory in Copper Mountain two weeks ago, also finished in the top five in the fourth giant slalom of the season. "Although the second run was ruined, we still managed to achieve a reasonably good result," said Brennsteiner. But when you drop four places as the leader, that's nothing nice. "That's a disappointment, but the other things don't put it into perspective. I'm annoyed because I didn't ski the way I wanted to in the second run."

Stefan Brennsteiner(Bild: GEPA)

Odermatt has to wait for his 50th victory
Odermatt still has to wait for his 50th World Cup victory. However, the four-time overall World Cup winner, who recently won four times in a row on the challenging "Face de Bellevard" piste, was not even dissatisfied with third place in the end. "It was really difficult at the end. Brandy then gave us a bit of a triple victory, but of course we're happy to take it," said the Swiss top star on ORF. Slalom World Champion Meillard celebrated his first win of the season: "It's certainly a relief."

Marco Odermatt(Bild: GEPA)

Patrick Feurstein from Vorarlberg, who came second in the French ski resort last year, was the second-best Austrian in ninth place (+0.69). World champion Raphael Haaser dropped back in the second run from eleventh to 16th place (+1.30). Joshua Sturm equaled his best World Cup result in 21st place. Manuel Feller missed out on the second run in 34th place, as did Lukas Feurstein (43rd) and Noel Zwischenbrugger (49th). This also broke a streak for the ÖSV: in the past eleven giant slaloms in Val d'Isere, an Austrian had always finished on the podium.

Schwarz too sloppy on the soft slope
Marco Schwarz, who finished second behind Odermatt at the start of the season in Sölden, was 1.34 seconds behind in 18th place. The Carinthian also blamed the soft conditions. I don't understand certain decisions by the FIS, why they don't put a bit more water in there. At home, I can lower a run on any public slope, I have the same", said the 30-year-old on ORF.

Marco Schwarz(Bild: EPA/SEBASTIEN NOGIER)

However, the all-rounder did not want this to be taken as an excuse. "I'm annoyed with myself, it's nobody's fault. I just find it incredibly difficult in these conditions," said Schwarz. "I just have to get cleaner." Joshua Sturm equaled his best World Cup result in 21st place, Manuel Feller missed the second run in 34th place, as did Lukas Feurstein (43rd) and Noel Zwischenbrugger (49th). On Sunday (9.30 a.m. and 1 p.m., both live on ORF 1 and in the "Sportkrone.at" live ticker), a slalom is still on the program in Val d'Isere.