Featured Image: Raphael Haaser. Credit: GEPA
The final run of the men’s World Championships giant slalom was intense as the top 10 men came into the second run with less than a second separating them. They ramped up their intensity in pursuit of the World Championship GS title.
The sun broke through for the men’s second run, which allowed them to go full-throttle.
Raphael Haaser of Austria took full advantage and threw down a charging second run to achieve his first World Championship GS title.
The home crowd cheers shook the arena with excitement. This was the first time since 2017 that an Austrian had won the World Championship giant slalom.
“It is so unbelievable. I didn’t expect it, and I have never had a World Cup victory, so going away with a World Championship title in front of a home crowd is simply amazing.”
This was a surprise as the 27-year-old has never medaled in GS at World Champs and has not achieved a top-3 on the World Cup circuit in the discipline either. He vocalized how surprised he was and did not expect the golden result.
He expressed, “It takes some time to realize all of that [the emotions], so I am just happy right now.”
Switzerland Achieves Silver and Bronze
Swiss athlete Thomas Tumler claimed his first and to date only World Cup win in the GS this season, triumphing in Beaver Creek in December. In the last World Championships, Tumler finished 18th in the giant slalom event.
However, in the team parallel this season, he showed his grit and passion, earning a silver medal. This boosted the 35-year-old’s confidence coming into the tech events.
After the first run, Tumler was in 6th place, +0.63 behind the lead; thus, he had a lot of ground to make up for the medal. Knowing that, he did not hold back from top to bottom, concluding with another silver medal.
His teammate, Loïc Meillard, earned another championship medal, achieving bronze. Meillard has had success on this hill prior to today, claiming his first World Cup podium in both GS and slalom, winning in World Cup Finals. In total, in his six World Cup races in Saalbach, he has a win, three 2nd places, a 4th, and a DNF.
With his success on this hill, he was ready to continue a strong showing. In both runs he looked confident and energized, executing a superb two-run race.
His bronze adds to the impressive medal count that Switzerland has already achieved in the 2025 World Championships.
Timon Haugan Falls Short
After the first run, Timon Haugan was leading the charge, -0.02 ahead of Meillard.
Unfortunately, right out of the start of the second run, he got caught on a gate and got late and low. Although he recovered nicely and got back into the rhythm, he lost time in the middle of the course and could not make it up in the final sections.
The Norwegian finished the day in 7th place.
The Reigning Champions Off the Podium
Marco Odermatt of Switzerland and Henrik Kristoffersen are the only two athletes in the field that have previously achieved a giant slalom World Championship title. Odermatt came into this second run just over two-tenths behind the leader, Timon Haugan, and Kritofferrsen had +0.88 to make up for gold.
Unfortunately, both of the reigning champions did not succeed in medaling in this giant slalom World Championship event.
Odermatt, who is no stranger to a second run comeback, was unable to execute the speed he needed to medal. On the second run, he launched off the top roller and continued to get pushed late and low in critical sections of the course.
Nevertheless, the Swiss star still managed to finish in 4th place, just +0.07 off of bronze.
Henrik Kristoffersen also struggled to find the speed needed today but finished with an 8th-place result.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen’s Medal for Brazil Will Wait Another Day
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen struggled to find his speed in both runs. He skied clean but had time to make up after finishing +1.94 off of Haugan’s lead in the first run.
He was aiming for a top-3 result, as it would mark Brazil’s first World Championship medal. Unfortunately, he missed his chance in the GS, finishing in 14th place. But the opportunity still holds as they move into slalom on Sunday.
3 North Americans in Top 30
Erik Read of Alpine Canada Alpin was the first athlete to kick out of the start on the second run (+3.09).
Read took advantage of the pristine track, laying down a very clean run. He set a combined pace of 2:42.07 which moved him up, concluding the day in 22nd place. This achievement marks the best Read has placed in a World Championship GS.
The Stifel US Ski Team athlete Bridger Gile, was the next North American on the course. This is Gile’s first appearance at World Championships and he had explained beforehand that he’s following Radamus’ example of embracing the heightened pressure that comes with this prestigious event. “We’ve definitely learned how to dial it up when the pressure gets put on. So, hopefully we can show that.”
His pace was slightly behind at the top of the course, but he continued to find speed through the final sections of the course. He came through the finish just -0.01 ahead of the racers before him, concluding the day in 19th place.
His teammate, River Radamus was the last North American to race the GS, finishing the first run in 11th place, 1.02 behind the lead. He fought through the second run, but continued to lose speed in crucial sections, and dropped down into 17th place.
Notable: World Cup points are not awarded at the World Championships, but the top 15 finishers earn World Cup Start List points, which impact their starting positions in future downhill races.
Top 3 Analysis
Top 30 Analysis
North American Analysis
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
