The second race in la Gran Risa in Alta Badia met the expections and delivered a great show full of surprises and emotion.
Ramon Zenhaeusern (SUI) takes the victory after an incredible second run. The Swiss skier was 8th after run 1, but climb up his way to the first spot on the podium with a strong second run. Zenhaeusern celebrates today his 4th podium and second Slalom World Cup victory in his very first race of the season.
"It was so tight after the first run so I had to push all on. I gave everything and it worked", said Zenhaeusern.
"I was a bit nervous the days before because I hadn’t raced since nearly 11 months. It's great to see that all the work I did pays off and I am looking forward to racing again tomorrow in Campiglio despite I never did a good result there!" he said.
Behind Zenhaeusern, there was an incredible battle between top skiers, with two Austrians managing to join the swiss giant on the podium. Manuel Feller (AUT), who started with bib 26, finished the first run in 13th place and completed his comeback in the second run to close in second place, 0.08s behind the winner.
It's the first podium since Grandvalira in March 2019 for an emotional Manuel Feller. "It's the most emotional moment of my career. I had a very hard season last year and it feels so amazing to see again the green light after crossing the finish line", he said.
Marco Schwarz (AUT) joined his teammate on the podium in third position, only 0.04s behind Feller. Schwarz climbed back from 10th position in run 2 and celebrates his 6th Slalom World Cup, his first one after his ACL injury during the Super-G of the Alpine Combined event at Bansko back in February.
"It was a tight race (...) To be on the podium again and with Manuel is amazing", said Schwarz.
First-run leader Alex Vinatzer dropped to 4th after the second run. Slowed by tough snow conditions on the Gran Risa course, Daniel Yule and Michael Matt, who were second and third after the opening run, dropped to 7th and 15th, respectively.
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