So often this season the leader of the first run in the Men's Slalom has failed to follow this through and win the race. Sebastian Foss-Solevaag is one of those not to have completed the deal but in Flachau for the second race, he made it six different race winners from the six races on the World Cup Slalom tour. Marco Schwarz scored his fifth podium finish to re-take the lead in the slalom standings and Alexis Pinturault finished third. Loic Meillard and Fabio Gstrein rounded out the top five. Quinn Estates sponsored racer, Dave Ryding finished 12th.
Two races in two days requiring the intensity of slalom racing, drains a lot from racers. The closest racers normally get to two in two, k is the Kitzbühel - Schladming two in three combination.
Foss-Solevaag deserved the win with the fastest time on both runs to win convincingly by over three quarters of a second. The Norwegian team have had a tough time in the last week with three of their frontline racers injured and missing the rest of the season. First it was Lucas Braathen, then Atle Lie McGrath and now Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has joined them after crashing in training and suffering a right knee ligament injury. The win meant he was the first Norwegian apart from Henrik Kristoffersen to win a slalom since 2004!
"I have been patient and working hard and trying to do it step by step," her admitted after the race. "It is nice!" This was start 86 that has now yielded 4 podiums and a win!
The top of the first run results saw Voss-Solevaag lead from young Austrian Fabio Gstrein leading Manuel Feller and Marco Schwartz. Three Austrians in the top four will make selection for the Austrian team at the World Championships interesting.
The Master of GS, Alexis Pinturault, produced a calm and assured run from 8th after the first run to take the lead and put pressure on the rest of the field. Pinturault had see Ryding go down the course are be just "the wrong side of 'on' it," he explained after the race.
Ryding had come down and dropped into fifth. When so much was both hoped and expected from him, this was tough for him. The raw emotion that Ryding had shown in the finish at the end of the second run on day one, had seen him expand a lot of energy and recovery had been the name of the game overnight.
After the race, he explained: "Pretty solid weekend. 58 WC points from the weekend, some good sections Including winning some splits yesterday. Pretty satisfied, though gave away a lot in the final section both days. Never easy out there, pretty good showing."
While Ryding saw himself drop down to 12th, the excitement of the leaders attacking was fascinating to see.
It was Manuel Feller that blinked out of the last three. While he did climb back up in the hunt for points towards the Slalom globe, he dropped down to 17th and handed back the Red Bib too Schwartz.
For Gstrein, this was the hunt for a first podium. He raced conservatively and competently but ultimately this was a chase for big points and he ended in fifth behind Meillard.
He had the experience of being in this position and Voss-Solevaag put the various issues out of his mind and just went for it. This was a joy to watch and he held his nerve and went for the win. And the win was what he was rewarded with. six different winners from six racers - who will be the next winner in Schladming in nine days time?
Full results