You can beat him on the first run but he then comes back to win on the second run! Marcel Hirscher produced a stunning performance from third after the first run to win for the ninth time in the resort of Adelboden. Trailing Marco Schwartz for the second race in a row after the first run, Hirscher knew he had to better the times set by both Schwartz and Henrik Kristoffersen. When the hunter is hunting, he is in sublime form at the moment! Clement Noel took the runners up spot for his first podium place and Kristoffersen finished in third.
Since winning the City Event in Oslo, Marco Schwartz has stepped up his game again. First run fastest times in both Zagreb and Adelboden have not transferred into results to grace his ability - he has crashed out on the second run on both occasions. With Kristoffersen having taken the lead until Schwartz came down, Hirscher admitted after the race that he knew he had to post a time that both the remaining racers would be challenged by. In the end both succumbed to the pressure of Hirscher's time.
With five French racers in the top seventeen after the first run, qualification for the World Championships will be a tight affair for the French selectors.Clement Noel and Alexis Pinturault are setting the pace and should make the cut with the remaining place between JB Grange, Victor Muffet-Jeandet and Julien Lizeroux, at 39 the oldest man on the tour. All five finished in the top 12 finishers!
Elias Kolega, a pretty unheralded Croatian racer started 48 and crashed into the thirty in 21st spot and then posted the sixth best time to sit in the leaders enclosure until Ramon Zenhausern came down from ninth after the first run. Kolega had a previous best of twentieth in the Zagreb race a week before. He has now finished all three World Cup Slalom races he has competed in! one more good result and he will break into the top thirty on the WCSL, he currently sits in 31st spot!
Daniel Yule is now the only racer on the Slalom World Cup to have scored in every round. Prior to the race, he shared this honour with Dave Ryding but when Ryding crashed out on the first run, Yule now stands alone with this honour. Laurie Taylor was edging closer to making the flip before sliding out on his inside ski at a gate that was the make or break gate midway down the steep leading into the finish.
The race was all about the second run that Hirscher produced. Yet again he was the hunter and yet again he raised his game to produce a performance that left those watching in awe. The last time he won the first run, in Saalbach Hinterglemm, he straddled. Since then Ryding knocked him out in Oslo in the the second round and Schwartz posted faster times than he did but crashed out.
Asked what his method was having trailed after the first run and Hisrcher responded: "It was pretty hard to attack full gas, I knew the guys before me had skied well and that Clement was ahead. Schwartz is in the form on his life so knew I had to go for it."
With the fresh snow falling on top of the hard icy conditions set up for the Giant Slalom, this was a really ballsy race that rewarded those that attacked.
With this being his ninth win in one resort, Adelboden is a special resort for Hirscher as he got his first top ten there. He now has sixteen cow bells and 9 wins, it is a special place!
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