Featured Image: Timon Haugan. Credit: GEPA

The men return to a second day of racing in Saalbach, Austria, for the World Cup Finals slalom event. Subpar spring conditions challenged the racers on the first run. They had to ski strategically on the soft snow while giving it their all from top to bottom.

Manuel Feller has already clinched the 2024 slalom Crystal Globe after the cancellation in Kranjska Gora. Thus, on the first run, he raced without pressure, aiming to finish the season on a celebratory note in front of his home crowd.

Feller pushed out of the start wearing bib-3 on the initial run, focused on chasing Linus Strasser’s set pace (55.74).

He ignited out of the start and found a rhythm off the bat. Through the different rhythm changes, he continued to generate speed. However, his impressive skiing did not withstand Strasser’s time. Although he did make time in the final section of the track, he will have to fight on the second run to close the gap on Haugan’s winning time.

Feller is the first man to have four World Cup slalom wins in a single season since his compatriot, Marcel Hirscher, triumphed five times in the 2019 season. He would have to make up eight-tenths in the second run to match the record, but anything is possible with the conditions today.

Strasser took advantage of running first on the soft snow, moving through each gate with a promising rhythm. His pace held strong until Timon Haugan of Norway came through the finish wearing bib-4, beating the German’s time (-0.15).

Haugan podiumed once this season in Schladming, earning a 2nd-place result. If he holds onto his winning time, it will be his first slalom victory of his career. He will be gunning it on his second attempt on the track to reign victorious.

Loic Meillard’s confidence from his victory the day prior in the World Cup Finals giant slalom shined through on the slalom track. Meillard skied a composed run and attacked the track from top to bottom. The Swiss skier sits in third, +0.50 out from the winning time, heading into the second run.

An athlete who showed an impressive time starting from a later bib number was Alex Vinatzer of Italy. Vinatzer began the first run wearing bib-20 and was able to push through the challenging course and make his way into a solid 10th-place position heading into the final slalom run.

Unfortunately, the North American teams, the Stifel US Ski Team and the Alpine Canada Alpin did not qualify any slalom racers to compete in World Cup Finals.

Three seconds separate the top racer from the 15th-place athlete, Samuel Kolega. The large time gap among the men reveals how the deteriorating track will affect the stacked slalom field. It is apparent how important it is for the racers to take advantage of earlier run times, which will help the later men make up ground this afternoon.

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