Hirscher claims hard-fought GS title in St. Moritz

By Published On: February 17th, 2017Comments Off on Hirscher claims hard-fought GS title in St. Moritz

ST. MORITZ, Switzerland – It was an electric atmosphere for the men’s World Championship giant slalom in St. Moritz on Friday as fans packed the stands and the men took on the challenging Corviglia slope. Austrian superstar Marcel Hirscher powered his way to his third World Championship title and his first in GS. Hirscher’s winning time of 2:13.31 bested his compatriot, Roland Leitinger in second, by 0.25 seconds and Norway’s Leif Kristian Haugen finished in third, 0.71 seconds off the pace.

The morning’s run was a mix of sunshine and flat light as high clouds were rolling in and out throughout the top racers. Hirscher set the early pace with bib six, followed by his compatriot Phillipp Schoerghofer in second and Frenchman Alexis Pinturault in third. Leitinger and Haugen sat in sixth and seventh, respectively.

During the between-run airshow by the Swiss Air Force, one of the stunt planes clipped the cable of the glidecam above the stadium, knocking the camera off of the cable. Luckily, nobody was injured and the only damage done was to the airplane, which landed safely in nearby Samaden, and the camera, costing host broadcaster SRG SSR approximately 250,00 Euros.

Due to the incident, the second run was delayed 30 minutes with action getting underway at 1:30 pm CET. Snow began to fall a few racers in, which made challenging visibility the name of the game in the second run. Despite two large mistakes, Haugen managed to take the lead after his run, only to be knocked out by Leitinger. The following racers could not match the pace, however, as only Hirscher managed to attack the demanding course enough to claim his well-deserved victory.

ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND Ð FEBRUARY 17: Roland Leitinger of Austria wins the silver medal, Marcel Hirscher of Austria wins the gold medal, Leif Kristian Haugen of Norway wins the bronze medal during the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Men's Giant Slalom on February 17, 2017 in St. Moritz, Switzerland (Photo by Hans Bezard/Agence Zoom)

Photo by Hans Bezard/Agence Zoom

“It took me six years to catch this medal. After Schladming second position and Vail/Beaver Creek second position, now first position, that is not too bad,” a relieved Hirscher said after the race. “It was very hard to fight in the second run for every one of us. It was physically one of the toughest races. Crossing the finish line, watching on the screen, my thoughts were, ‘Where’s Pinturault? Where is Schoerghofer? I’m World Champion!’ Then, seeing Roland Leitinger was very unexpected for me, but it was good to have him in this position. It was really great to have another Austrian on the podium.”

It was Leitinger’s first podium appearance in World Championships or World Cup, but the 25-year-old Austrian knew he had the pace to challenge for a medal after a strong block of training heading into Friday’s race.

“It was just an absolutely amazing second run for me,” Leitinger said. “I was in the finish area and saw a half-second and was screaming so loud, it was just amazing. I have the speed on my skis now. I’ve already had it the last days in training, so I know if everything is working for me I can do it. Today, World Championships silver medal, everything was perfect for me.”

Haugen’s result marks the first time an NCAA athlete has medaled in a World Championships since another Norwegian, Hedda Berntsen, won a bronze medal in the women’s slalom in 2001 after attending Middlebury College in Vermont. The Norwegian was a 2012 graduate of the University of Denver and skied for the Pioneers throughout his time there. It was also Haugen’s first podium, World Championships or World Cup.

ST. MORITZ, SWITZERLAND Ð FEBRUARY 17: Leif Kristian Haugen of Norway wins the bronze medal during the FIS Alpine Ski World Championships Men's Giant Slalom on February 17, 2017 in St. Moritz, Switzerland (Photo by Giovanni Auletta/Agence Zoom)

Photo by Giovanni Auletta/Agence Zoom

“Yeah, I guess there were two guys on the podium today that had their first appearance, unbelievable,” an exhilarated Haugen said. “I fought hard, I did everything I could and I was extremely nervous between the runs, but I managed to give it everything I got. I even brought a panel with me on the way down. It’s crazy. I thought it was going to be another fourth. It’s better to think that way and be surprised than expect to medal. So many hours have been put in. Thousands of hours with one of the best alpine teams in the world, and now I’ve pulled it together in two runs.”

For the Americans, David Chodounsky led the way with a solid 11th-place finish, giving him an important confidence boost before his marquee event of slalom on Sunday, especially after some self-admitted struggles in January.

“I’m really happy,” said Chodounsky. “Set myself up in a good place first run, just skied solid, and then I knew I had room to push a little more. Took a little more speed second run, and I felt great. It was so much fun skiing down that, and I was in control, pushing speed. Really happy with my GS right now. It would’ve been nice to be top 10. I was very close. I mean I’ll take it. I’m super happy … January was really long. I think I was a little tired, a little beat up. Didn’t get the results I wanted. Obviously was skiing fast. I took a break, and I feel fresh now and I’m ready to charge on Sunday, too.”

Vermont’s Ryan Cochran-Siegle was the only other American finisher in 25th with Tommy Ford and Tim Jitloff failing to finish the first run. Cochran-Siegle has shown flashes of brilliance on the World Cup this season, but conceded he still has a ways to go before he is really competitive at the highest level.

“Yeah, I definitely went into the week with a little higher hopes,” admitted Cochran-Siegle. “I guess the one thing I can take out of it is it put me in my place with my skiing and that I definitely need a lot of work. It was fun starting first in the second run. I mean that was pretty nice. The snow was really nice, and the crowd was fun. My confidence right now is pretty much depleted. I think I had a pretty good December, and I think that kind of lifted me up where it was kind of justifying my whole comeback, and then once I hit January, I don’t know. I lost something. Definitely not where I want to be right now. Pretty frustrating.”

The men now race slalom on Sunday, Feb. 19 to close out the 2017 World Championships in St. Moritz.


Top 10

  1. Marcel Hirscher (AUT) – Atomic/Atomic/Atomic
  2. Roland Leitinger (AUT) – Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
  3. Leif Kristian Haugen (NOR) – Rossignol/Rossignol/Look
  4. Henrik Kristoffersen (ITA) – Rossignol/Rossignol/Look
  5. Philipp Schoerghofer (AUT) – Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
  6. Matts Olson (SWE) – Head/Head/Head
  7. Alexis Pinturault (FRA) – Head/Head/Head
  8. Justin Murisier (SUI) – Voelkl/Dalbello/Marker
  9. Mathieu Faivre (FRA) – Head/Head/Head
  10. Riccardo Tonetti (ITA) – Voelkl/Tecnica/Marker

Official Results

Rank Bib FIS Code Name Year Nation Run 1 Run 2 Total Time Diff. FIS Points
 1  6  53831 HIRSCHER Marcel 1989 AUT  1:06.73  1:06.58  2:13.31  0.00
 2  22  54031 LEITINGER Roland 1991 AUT  1:07.26  1:06.30  2:13.56  +0.25  1.84
 3  13  421669 HAUGEN Leif Kristian 1987 NOR  1:07.27  1:06.75  2:14.02  +0.71  5.22
 4  4  422304 KRISTOFFERSEN Henrik 1994 NOR  1:07.21  1:06.86  2:14.07  +0.76  5.59
 5  5  51007 SCHOERGHOFER Philipp 1983 AUT  1:06.99  1:07.17  2:14.16  +0.85  6.25
 6  8  501324 OLSSON Matts 1988 SWE  1:07.12  1:07.12  2:14.24  +0.93  6.84
 7  7  194364 PINTURAULT Alexis 1991 FRA  1:07.08  1:07.21  2:14.29  +0.98  7.20
 8  15  511896 MURISIER Justin 1992 SUI  1:07.84  1:06.46  2:14.30  +0.99  7.28
 9  3  194495 FAIVRE Mathieu 1992 FRA  1:07.51  1:06.85  2:14.36  +1.05  7.72
 10  21  291318 TONETTI Riccardo 1989 ITA  1:07.58  1:06.89  2:14.47  +1.16  8.53
 11  30  534508 CHODOUNSKY David 1984 USA  1:08.07  1:06.43  2:14.50  +1.19  8.75
 12  43  202451 STRASSER Linus 1992 GER  1:08.03  1:06.66  2:14.69  +1.38  10.14
 13  1  193967 MUFFAT-JEANDET Victor 1989 FRA  1:07.88  1:06.86  2:14.74  +1.43  10.51
 14  12  202437 LUITZ Stefan 1992 GER  1:07.94  1:06.89  2:14.83  +1.52  11.17
 15  23  511852 CAVIEZEL Gino 1992 SUI  1:08.16  1:06.69  2:14.85  +1.54  11.32
 16  2  201702 NEUREUTHER Felix 1984 GER  1:08.52  1:06.41  2:14.93  +1.62  11.91
 17  9  292967 EISATH Florian 1984 ITA  1:07.78  1:07.24  2:15.02  +1.71  12.57
 18  19  192506 MISSILLIER Steve 1984 FRA  1:08.71  1:06.44  2:15.15  +1.84  13.53
 19  20  380335 ZUBCIC Filip 1993 CRO  1:07.70  1:07.59  2:15.29  +1.98  14.56
 20  16  292491 MOELGG Manfred 1982 ITA  1:08.27  1:07.10  2:15.37  +2.06  15.14
 21  27  512182 MEILLARD Loic 1996 SUI  1:08.74  1:06.68  2:15.42  +2.11  15.51
 22  17  511313 JANKA Carlo 1986 SUI  1:08.05  1:07.46  2:15.51  +2.20  16.17
 23  25  103729 READ Erik 1991 CAN  1:08.81  1:06.71  2:15.52  +2.21  16.25
 24  35  6291430 MAURBERGER Simon 1995 ITA  1:08.26  1:07.53  2:15.79  +2.48  18.23
 25  39  6530319 COCHRAN-SIEGLE Ryan 1992 USA  1:09.02  1:07.09  2:16.11  +2.80  20.58
 26  36  422073 NETELAND Bjoernar 1991 NOR  1:08.81  1:07.32  2:16.13  +2.82  20.73
 27  40  501898 ROENNGREN Mattias 1993 SWE  1:09.12  1:08.18  2:17.30  +3.99  29.33
 28  45  561322 HADALIN Stefan 1995 SLO  1:09.13  1:08.42  2:17.55  +4.24  31.17
 29  44  502015 JAKOBSEN Kristoffer 1994 SWE  1:09.38  1:08.70  2:18.08  +4.77  35.07
 30  47  92720 POPOV Albert 1997 BUL  1:09.40  1:08.81  2:18.21  +4.90  36.02
 31  48  410365 BARWOOD Adam 1992 NZL  1:09.99  1:08.42  2:18.41  +5.10  37.49
 32  28  150644 KRYZL Krystof 1986 CZE  1:09.62  1:08.81  2:18.43  +5.12  37.64
 33  33  180705 PIRINEN Eemeli 1993 FIN  1:10.25  1:08.69  2:18.94  +5.63  41.39
 34  34  700879 ZAMPA Andreas 1993 SVK  1:08.77  1:11.16  2:19.93  +6.62  48.67
 35  54  491853 DEL CAMPO Juan 1994 ESP  1:09.77  1:10.19  2:19.96  +6.65  48.89
 36  53  20378 ESTEVE Axel 1994 AND  1:10.26  1:10.10  2:20.36  +7.05  51.83
 37  66  700868 FALAT Matej 1993 SVK  1:10.43  1:09.96  2:20.39  +7.08  52.05
 38  61  30266 GASTALDI Sebastiano 1991 ARG  1:10.57  1:09.89  2:20.46  +7.15  52.56
 39  56  30149 SIMARI BIRKNER Cristian Javier 1980 ARG  1:10.86  1:10.63  2:21.49  +8.18  60.13
 40  65  221236 TAYLOR Laurie 1996 GBR  1:11.04  1:10.99  2:22.03  +8.72  64.10
 41  59  400235 WINKELHORST Steffan 1992 NED  1:10.92  1:11.59  2:22.51  +9.20  67.63
 42  60  6300464 KOYAMA Yohei 1998 JPN  1:11.92  1:11.63  2:23.55  +10.24  75.28
 43  93  780023 DRUKAROV Andrej 1999 LTU  1:14.40  1:13.66  2:28.06  +14.75  108.43
 44  74  221190 NORRIS Kieran 1995 IRL  1:14.55  1:14.62  2:29.17  +15.86  116.59
 45  78  670037 ZAKURDAEV Igor 1987 KAZ  1:14.62  1:15.28  2:29.90  +16.59  121.96
 46  90  800013 TOLA Erjon 1986 ALB  1:15.32  1:15.96  2:31.28  +17.97  132.10
Did not qualify for 2nd run
 47  87  540026 DICKSON SOMMERS Rodolfo Roberto 1997 MEX  1:15.48  1:15.48
 48  91  230667 PROIOS Ioannis 1995 GRE  1:15.82  1:15.82
 49  88  280034 BIRAN Itamar 1998 ISR  1:15.97  1:15.97
 50  92  210040 TUKHTAEV Kamiljon 1997 UZB  1:16.41  1:16.41
 51  96  260111 KIA SHEMSHAKI Behnam 1990 IRI  1:19.47  1:19.47
 52  100  450030 MARIOTTI Alessandro 1998 SMR  1:20.03  1:20.03
 53  72  6190671 POETTOZ Michael 1998 COL  1:21.29  1:21.29
 54  102  570019 WILSON Connor 1996 RSA  1:21.50  1:21.50
 55  103  340230 FENIANOS Naim 1992 LBN  1:21.84  1:21.84
 56  101  160109 KAKKOURAS Giorgos 1998 CYP  1:24.02  1:24.02
 57  105  360045 CASTERMANS Max 1998 LUX  1:24.91  1:24.91
 58  106  940001 RANDRIAMIARISOA Andy 1984 MAD  1:27.96  1:27.96
 59  104  620059 THAKUR Himanshu 1994 IND  1:32.41  1:32.41
Did not qualify for final race
 60  21  860005 BRACHNER Patrick 1992 AZE  1:02.32  1:03.37  2:05.69
 61  50  710351 EMRIC Eman 1996 BIH  1:02.15  1:03.73  2:05.88
 62  59  680068 JAPARIDZE Besarion 1998 GEO  1:02.77  1:03.53  2:06.30
 63  64  230651 ANTONIOU Ioannis 1995 GRE  1:03.45  1:02.99  2:06.44
 64  38  550066 ZVEJNIEKS Miks 1995 LAT  1:02.73  1:04.57  2:07.30
 65  83  270061 COMERFORD Cormac 1996 IRL  1:03.87  1:03.86  2:07.73
 66  58  240149 NAGY Bence 1998 HUN  1:04.24  1:04.92  2:09.16
 67  82  780013 ZAVECKAS Rokas 1996 LTU  1:04.21  1:04.96  2:09.17
 68  78  230728 TZIOVAS Nikolaos 1997 GRE  1:03.64  1:05.79  2:09.43
 69  61  660023 CHERTSIN Daniil 1997 BLR  1:05.31  1:06.07  2:11.38
 70  86  270055 LYNE Conor 1993 IRL  1:06.07  1:05.56  2:11.63
 71  80  260241 BAHA Nima 1996 IRI  1:06.48  1:06.98  2:13.46
 72  97  690672 TELYCHUK Vasyl 1992 UKR  1:07.08  1:08.40  2:15.48
 73  91  690732 MARIICHYN Andriy 1995 UKR  1:07.26  1:08.25  2:15.51
 74  92  660026 ZVERNIK Vlad 1998 BLR  1:06.35  1:09.45  2:15.80
 75  84  590039 ALMEIDA Samuel 1997 POR  1:07.34  1:08.84  2:16.18
 76  87  240153 BENYO Marcel 2000 HUN  1:08.91  1:08.90  2:17.81
 77  76  120071 XU Mingfu 1997 CHN  1:07.04  1:11.79  2:18.83
 78  104  160106 KOUYOUMDJIAN Yiannos 1997 CYP  1:10.58  1:11.04  2:21.62
 79  105  230718 STOIDIS Georgios 1997 GRE  1:11.74  1:14.11  2:25.85
 80  124  570018 SPEELMAN Sive 1995 RSA  1:11.12  1:14.87  2:25.99
 81  111  340250 CHAMOUN Dani 1993 LBN  1:14.44  1:16.41  2:30.85
 82  107  620035 LAL Hira 1980 IND  1:17.16  1:18.14  2:35.30
 83  118  800023 VERIGA Vasil 1998 ALB  1:20.13  1:22.45  2:42.58
 84  112  800020 BICOKU Marsel 1997 ALB  1:22.72  1:22.55  2:45.27
 85  120  590038 BRANCAL Ricardo 1996 POR  1:24.37  1:23.15  2:47.52
 86  119  961001 FARHANG Sayed-Ali-Shah 1990 AFG  1:26.81  1:25.86  2:52.67
 87  121  961000 HUSAINI Sajjad 1991 AFG  1:33.91  1:35.27  3:09.18
 88  125  921000 ROY Jean-Pierre 1963 HAI  1:42.98  1:52.73  3:35.71
Disqualified 1st run
 99  120057 ZHANG Yangming 1994 CHN
Did not start 2nd run
 58  550054 ZVEJNIEKS Kristaps 1992 LAT
 41  20398 VERDU Joan 1995 AND
 14  54063 FELLER Manuel 1992 AUT
 10  501017 MYHRER Andre 1983 SWE
Did not finish 2nd run
 85  660021 DANILOCHKIN Yuri 1991 BLR
 82  310421 STEVOVIC Marko 1996 SRB
 81  250353 SNORRASON Sturla-Snaer 1994 ISL
 67  110383 VON APPEN Sven 1997 CHI
 64  380374 VUKELIC William 1998 CRO
 51  481785 EFIMOV Simon 1996 RUS
 49  400237 MEINERS Maarten 1992 NED
 38  481103 ANDRIENKO Aleksander 1990 RUS
 37  103676 BROWN Phil 1991 CAN
 29  180666 TORSTI Samu 1991 FIN
Did not finish 1st run
 98  690694 KOVBASNYUK Ivan 1993 UKR
 97  6190227 DENAT Jeremy 1996 PER
 95  942023 TAHIRI Albin 1989 KOS
 94  194752 HANSE Arthur 1993 POR
 89  770015 TIMOFEEV Evgeniy 1994 KGZ
 86  460060 BARBU Alexandru 1987 ROU
 84  750107 BOZHINOVSKI Luka 1998 MKD
 83  680047 BENIAIDZE Alex 1991 GEO
 80  170159 VORRE Marcus 1998 DEN
 79  54106 BREITFUSS KAMMERLANDER Simon 1992 BOL
 77  700901 HYSKA Martin 1994 SVK
 76  240142 SZOLLOS Benjamin 1996 HUN
 75  390041 LUIK Juhan 1997 EST
 73  710353 SLJIVIC Marko 1996 BIH
 71  550086 GEDRA Zaks 1998 LAT
 70  60256 VERBEKE Tom 1997 BEL
 69  110350 FIGUEROA Andres 1996 CHI
 68  30388 BIRKNER DE MIGUEL Tomas 1997 ARG
 63  110409 HORWITZ Kai 1998 CHI
 62  151060 PAULUS Daniel 1994 CZE
 57  60236 VAN DEN BROECKE Dries 1995 BEL
 55  151215 FOREJTEK Filip 1997 CZE
 52  561255 CATER Martin 1992 SLO
 50  150743 BERNDT Ondrej 1988 CZE
 46  561310 HROBAT Miha 1995 SLO
 42  410364 FEASEY Willis 1992 NZL
 32  103865 PHILP Trevor 1992 CAN
 31  481327 TRIKHICHEV Pavel 1992 RUS
 26  534959 JITLOFF Tim 1985 USA
 24  531799 FORD Tommy 1989 USA
 18  422139 KILDE Aleksander Aamodt 1992 NOR
 11  561244 KRANJEC Zan 1992 SLO
Disqualified 1st run in qualification race
 127  740040 ARAKELYAN Vazgen 2000 ARM
 116  740036 KARAPETYAN Ashot 1999 ARM
 101  750108 PETKOV Viktor 1999 MKD
 79  120055 WANG Yu 1994 CHN
Did not start 2nd run in qualification race
 100  660025 CHERTSIN Uladzislau 1998 BLR
 54  750088 RISTEVSKI Antonio 1989 MKD
Did not start 1st run in qualification race
 94  360043 BOCK Christophe 1998 LUX
 68  260109 SAVEH SHEMSHAKI Poya 1990 IRI
 46  400294 HAAS VAN DER Spike 1997 NED
Did not finish 2nd run in qualification race
 126  780020 ALEKSANDRAVICIUS Vilius 1995 LTU
 123  540001 VON HOHENLOHE Hubertus 1959 MEX
 122  960801 SKEEN Kasete-Naufahu 1982 TGA
 117  960700 MIRZAN Othman 1994 MAS
 115  950000 OETTL REYES Manfred 1993 PER
 114  770020 IZATBEK UULU Urmat 1998 KGZ
 113  770018 GORDEEV Maksim 1995 KGZ
 109  770011 TRELEVSKI Dmitry 1983 KGZ
 106  160102 MICHAEL Andreas 1997 CYP
 98  310388 KOSIC Bojan 1990 MNE
 95  750106 NASHOKU Marjan 1995 MKD
 89  340447 ZINA Jeffrey 1998 LBN
 71  250361 AUDUNSSON Kristinn-Logi 1995 ISL
 70  250323 FINNSSON Magnus 1993 ISL
 69  60088 VAN DEN BOGAERT Jeroen 1979 BEL
 56  240152 VALERI David 2000 HUN
 55  710320 LAIKERT Igor 1991 BIH
 51  170151 DYRBYE NAESTED Casper 1996 DEN
 40  680041 ABRAMASHVILI Iason 1988 GEO
 37  680063 JAPHARIDZE Soso 1996 GEO
 27  710362 LOKMIC Emir 1997 BIH
 24  92719 ZLATKOV Kamen 1997 BUL
 16  380363 KOLEGA Elias 1996 CRO
 14  481730 KUZNETSOV Ivan 1996 RUS
Did not finish 1st run in qualification race
 99  340440 BEHLOK Allen 1998 LBN
 88  170160 STAUNSAGER Mark Holme 1998 DEN
 81  690753 KARPUSHYN Mykhailo 1998 UKR
 75  250402 GUDMUNDSSON Jon Gunnar 1998 ISL
 73  120061 ZHANG Xiaosong 1997 CHN
 66  260180 JAFARI Seyed Morteza 1992 IRI
 52  670029 PIMENOV Taras 1984 KAZ
 45  310426 VUKICEVIC Marko 1992 SRB
 8  380377 KOLEGA Samuel 1999 CRO

 

Share This Article

About the Author: Sean Higgins

A Lake Tahoe native and University of Vermont graduate, Higgins was a member of the Catamounts' 2012 NCAA title winning squad and earned first team All-American honors in 2013. Prior to coming to Ski Racing Media, he coached U14s for the Squaw Valley Ski Team.