Five Slalom races this season and five different winners.
Today, Manuel Feller claimed his first World Cup victory in Flachau. The Austrian finished 0.43 seconds ahead of first-run leader Clement Noel and 0.70 ahead of his teammate Marco Schwarz.
Feller sat in third place 0.25 seconds off the pace after the first run but after laying down the fastest time in the second run, Feller jumped into first place and held on for the victory.
Previous to Flachau the 28-year-old Austrian skier had achieved five World Cup podiums in Slalom. This season, he had finished second in Alta Badia and Zagreb.
"It's an incredibly beautiful moment, (...) I have to say I was a little bit nervous before the race today. I tried to make a solid first run, in the second I knew the material was working really well. I didn't even feel on the limit, I felt like everything was just working perfectly. I want to thank all the guys from Flachau. When I was skiing I felt like having a crowd next to the slope. Right now it's like a miracle!", said Feller.
Feller's victory means he is now leading the slalom standings, with Schwarz only one point behind in second and Linus Strasser of Germany in third.
For Clement Noel, today’s second-place finish was the first podium this season. Noel let a first-run lead slip away for the second straight race. The Frenchman also wasted a first-run lead last Sunday at Adelboden.
Taking third place was Feller's teammate Marco Schwarz. Schwarz won the last slalom event in the World Cup, in Adelboden on January 10th. It was the 12th career podium for the Austrian.
“In the first run I was restrained from the start. I had a good feeling straight away in the second run. I am super happy. For tomorrow I know how to do it. I can attack right from the start ”, said Schwarz.
“I'm brutally happy about Manuel's first World Cup victory. The form fits, we push each other in training. We worked hard and it is now paying off. The season is still long. Of course, I want to fight for the World Cup, it will be very exciting", added Schwarz.
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