SOELDEN, Austria (AP) — Three Norwegian skiers exuberantly celebrated their sweep of the podium at the season-opening men’s World Cup giant slalom on Sunday, and they had a former teammate now competing for Brazil joining in.
Alexander Steen Olsen screamed for joy after building on his slim first-run advantage to beat Norwegian teammates Henrik Kristoffersen by 0.64 and Atle Lie McGrath by 0.65 seconds.
“That is what we have been dreaming of, everybody on the podium,” Steen Olsen said.
The spotlights during the race, though, had been on Lucas Pinheiro Braathen and Marcel Hirscher, who both made successful comebacks to the circuit.
Former slalom World Cup winner Braathen, who returned after one year off and a switch from the Norwegian to the Brazilian federation, started 41st and finished 0.90 behind in fourth after posting the fastest second-run time.
Braathen clicked out of his skis after finishing to perform some samba moves on the snow.
“I was so in touch with the snow today, I knew that is my potential and I am here with a purpose. I'm so happy,” said Braathen, one of the most eccentric characters in the skiing world, who fell out with the Norwegian ski federation in a dispute over his marketing rights a year ago.
“For me, I hope my personality and my story can be an inspiration for others, that you can go your own way. I went my own way and today the result is happiness. That is what success is to me.”
Braathen spent quite some time in the leader's seat during the second run until his former teammates beat his time.
“It’s madness, Alexander, Henrik and Atle in the top three is too good to be true,” said Braathen, who is close friends with McGrath and hugged him after the finish.
Steen Olsen celebrated his third career podium, after winning a slalom in Palisades Tahoe, California, two seasons ago and finishing runner-up in a GS in Bansko, Bulgaria, in February.
“I feel like I’m learning from my mistakes last year. I’m not scared to grab the opportunity. I know my contenders went full speed down the hill, I just did give it my everything,” Steen Olsen said.
Austrian great Hirscher, who came out of retirement after five years to start for the Netherlands, trailed Steen Olsen by 2.16 seconds in 23rd position,
Wearing an orange-white race suit, Hirscher had two consistent runs with no major mistakes until getting to the bottom part, where he lost considerable time. The record eight-time overall champion just qualified for the final run and then posted the third-fastest time.
“The second run was maybe one of the most emotional moments in my career after five years away from ski racing. It means a lot, it's great to be part of the ski-racing community again,” said Hirscher, who used skis of his own Van Deer-Red Bull brand, which he founded after his initial retirement in 2019.
“The main goal is to have a good time, to develop our product with Van Deer,” said Hirscher about his surprise return to top-level skiing at age 35.
Hirscher's comeback drew a record number of spectators to the traditional World Cup opening weekend in Austria, with 33,000 fans in total attending Sunday's event and the women's race on Saturday, which was won by Federica Brignone.
Defending overall champion Marco Odermatt skied out in the opening run.
Odermatt, who dominated the GS discipline last season by winning nine of the 10 races, started the opening run strong in perfect sunny conditions on the Rettenbach glacier and posted the fastest split times at the first two check points.
However, he later suddenly lost control over his left ski and slid off the course.
“For sure, we are all humans and mistakes can happen. I took the risk today that this could happen,” Odermatt said.
“I was very satisfied with my skiing. Until there, I really felt perfect, so that is what I take with me, not the mistake.”
Odermatt's Swiss teammate, Loic Meillard, who finished runner-up in the overall standings last season, didn't start after hurting his back during a warmup shortly before the race.
The men's World Cup continues with a slalom in Levi, Finland, on Nov. 17. ___
Eric Willemsen on X: https://x.com/eWilmedia
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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
Eric Willemsen, The Associated Press
