Deville takes first World Cup win in Slalom in Kitzbuehel
Christian Deville started number 1 and finished number 1 but in the time between his run, the focus of the racing was more of a technical aspect than of a racing aspect. The Ganslern slope is spectacular with its rolls, steep start and the crowd so close all the way down. Deville, fourth after the first run, was able to stay out of the limelight that surrounded the Austrians and Kostelic. This was classic Austrian territory and the cameras were on them. Deville went about his business and posted a time that the rest had to beat. Many felt that with Hirscher, Kostelic and Matt, the leading three after the first run, at least half a second ahead, it would be these three that took the spoils. In the end Matt took second and Kostelic third. How it all unfolded was intriguing and a script worthy of Kitzbuehel.
Did he or did he not was the intrigue surrounding the man of the moment, Marcel Hirscher, as the cameras scrutinised his first run. Hirscher straddled in Wengen last time out and this time the focus was all on the first gate: The quality of the television camera meant that this one gate was scrutinized so close. In the end of the case was closed by Gunter Hujara after looking at the pictures and discussion with the gate keeper. Hirscher stayed in for the second run.
The second run saw two of the Italian stars, Stefano Gross and Manny Moelgg experience technical issues with their skis as the ruts caused the skis to come off.
With Deville leading in the finish, Hirscher fired out the start hut and gave a mesmerizing run. Mistakes were made, rolls were flown off and still he kept going. This was a run made for television and the world wide audience. Hirscher went wide on gates, flew through the air and attacked to the final moment. As he crossed the line it was not the green light that he so deserved for such a run but second place. Yet the intrigue did not stop there.
No sooner had Hirscher caught his breath, the TV cameras were rolling a slow mo of his run. This time there was no debate, he had straddled and the run was in vain. Kitzbuehel would not yield any points for the Austrian (who has a Dutch mother!).
Kostelic was next up and while he had benefited from the strange combinations that his father had come up with on the first run, this time the course had been set by an Italian. Kostelic had almost three quarters of a second advantage on Deville yet the time started evaporating from the first split and by the time he crossed the line, Deville still held the lead and Hirscher had been wiped from the board.
So what could Mario Matt do to try and uphold the Austrian honour? Twelve years ago Matt had won on this hill and in the meantime he has had good times and not so good. Since moving to Blizzard, Matt has rediscovered his zest and is a serious threat on the slopes. After 28 racers, the course was starting to rut up and this was shown in the times. Matt was 0.01 ahead after the first run. Now we were seeing just how good Deville’s second run was. Only Wolfgang Hoerl, who had started 9th was faster on the run.
Matt lost time and was almost half a second back by the time he crossed the line. Victory to Deville in the Slalom and Kostelic, who else, took victory in the Combined. For Hirscher, the feeling of being the hunted now was there and he now goes to Schladming looking to recover his invincibility that he had at the beginning of the calendar year.
Kostelic took the Combined as well ahead of Beat Feuz and Silvan Zurbriggen.
Slalom Results
Combined Results
