Linus Stasser GEPA pictures/ Gintare Karpaviciute

After the first seven racers completed their first runs, it was apparent that Germany’s Linus Strasser had the hot hand in men’s slalom. Strasser won the Schladming night slalom in 2022 and his third career World Cup slalom on Sunday in Kitzbühel. Will his efforts tonight bring him his fourth? He has a (-0.10) advantage over Norway’s Timon Haugan.

Strasser skied very well, but there were six racers within a second of his time. France’s Clement Noel (+0.36) delivered the third-fastest first run. In fourth is the young Norwegian Alte Lie McGrath, who has been second on the podium in two of the five slaloms this season. After the first run, Lie McGrath trails the German leader by (+0.21).

The men who qualified displayed a fantastic level of slalom on the Planai. However, the winner will likely come from the seven men at the top of the leaderboard. The contenders’ times are very close, making the second run dramatic.

The current World Cup slalom leader, Austrian Manuel Feller, is in 7th place (+1.04). But with his proven talent, it remains reasonable to hope for a fantastic second run that will put him in contention for another victory. Once again, the 40,000+ spectators exploded with energy whenever an Austrian was on course. That energy could propel Feller to the miracle run and his fourth slalom victory of the season.

Due to perfect conditions, only three did not finish after bib thirty had skied, and one did not start. That meant it would take extraordinary skiing for the later starters to qualify, only four did.

North Americans

Notably, no North Americans were starting among the first thirty.

However, the first North American to ski the Planai slalom was Stifel US Ski Team’s Jett Seymour. Seymour qualified for a second run in Schladming in 2021. Tonight, he qualifies for his first final run of the season. Seymour skied well from the first gate through the finish and crossed 17th fastest (+2.18). Seeing this great American skier qualify for the final run is exciting.

Also, unfortunately, Seymour was the only North American to make it into the second run.

It was also interesting to see one of the Stifel US Ski Team’s historically best slalom skiers, Luke Winters, using Fischer equipment. Luke has had meaningful success using Dynastar Lange Look in past seasons, but it appears his recent struggles have led him to turn in a new direction.

Schladming Planai race surface

The surface tonight was even more polished than the GS, but the ice provided plenty of grip because of the warm weather. With the massive amount of water in the Planai race slope, if it were cold, the coaches would have had difficulty getting in and out of their positions for the race. Additionally, racers would have been severely punished for late pressure. Still, as predicted, the temperatures softened the ice. Due to the high temperatures and to offer the best possible surface, the FIS salted the surface during their prerun preparations.

Late starter success

Only four athletes with bibs above 30 qualified for the evening finale. The fastest was Stifel US Ski Team’s bib 37 Jett Seymour 17th (+2.18). The last starter to do so was Switzerland’s Reto Schmidiger 25th (+2.49). The time differential between the leader and the 30th fastest was (+2.90). Thirteen countries have athletes who qualified for the second run.

The stage is set for a nail-biting finale in Schladming. With Linus Strasser’s pursuit of a second consecutive victory hanging in the balance, the competition among the top seven racers is nothing short of dramatic. As the contenders gear up for the second run, the tantalizingly close times on the leaderboard promise a thrilling showdown. Austrian Manuel Feller, currently in 7th place, carries the hopes of his nation, fueled by the infectious energy of the spectators. The night holds the potential for a miracle ending, and the excitement includes the lone North American, Jett Seymour, making his mark in the final run. Stay tuned for the exhilarating conclusion to a spectacular men’s slalom event in Schladming.

Top thirty first run results and analysis of fastest three and qualified North Americans

Analysis of fastest three and qualified North Americans