Marco Odermatt from Switzerland skied consistently and clinically in Kransjka Gora, Slovenia, to take victory in the giant slalom, beating Alexis Pinturault by 0.23 seconds.
Pinturault climbed from 5th position on the second leg with a brilliant performance by the French veteran on the course set by his coach, Romain Velez.
It was his 8th podium on this piste, the French skier was lightning quick through the delay gate in the course, carrying the speed from steep to flat effectively – maintaining it and building on it throughout. The run was the fastest of the day on the second course.
Last year’s winner in this event, Henrik Kristofferson, took the final spot on the podium finishing 0.37 seconds off the pace, maintaining his position from the first run.
Home hero Zan Kranjec was relegated out of the podium positions despite placing 2nd on the first run.
The snow conditions were poor and the mountains in Slovenia surrounding the piste were visibly greener.
Following the race, the winner said: “It is another perfect day for me, it was very warm conditions.
“It wasn’t easy to stay focused at the start, everything was so soft, so it wasn’t easy to ski.
“I’m very happy I could win this race.”
Odermatt now very much has one hand on the Giant Slalom World Cup trophy with only two more races to go and a 140-point lead over Kristofferson in second place. A win in tomorrow's event also in Kranjska Gora would see him take the title.
The World Cup final race in this discipline is in Andorra next weekend, but Odermatt will be eager to already have that trophy claimed before season finale.
The 25-year-old Swiss also leads the overall cup standings by nearly 500 points, an astonishing figure which represents the level he has been skiing at in GS, Super G and Downhill.
It’s another title he will surely have under his belt, helped by the fact that Aleksander Aamodt Kilde didn’t compete and won’t compete in tomorrow’s GS either. He is Odermatt’s closest competitor in the standings.
Great Britain’s Charlie Raposo skied out on the first run, but there was an appearance in the race for another Briton, albeit forerunning. 16-year-old Zak Carrick-Smith showed the best in the world how to take to the World Cup course.
An amazing opportunity for a young star that has a bright career ahead of him and will be an experience he will have under his belt for the future.
Full results
Words Jack Feneley
Pictures Zoom Agence