It was anticipated that Marco Odermatt would continue his imperious form in Giant Slalom after taking the lead on the first run from his team-mate Loic Meillard but a race mistake at the top of the course on run two handed the win to Meillard with Joan Verdu in second and Thomas Tumlert in third. The top five were rounded out by two of the racers to have beaten Odermatt in the last three yearsL Stefan Brennsteiner and Henrik Kristoffersen.
Odermatt has been in imperious form this year and was looking for ten out of ten race wins for the season. As is often the case to is the what does not happen that is highlighted rather than the win. Meillard has slowly been grabbing the attention and this was his fourth career win and second this season for the Rossignol man.
Meillard started the first run with bib one but Odermatt still managed, from bib 2 to be four tenths ahead of him. Saalbach Hiunterglemm will host the World Championships next season and on this form,bioth Odermatt and Meillard will be back for more next February..
With Odermatt not making he finish, this gave another of the new names that have stood up this season space on the podium: Joan Verdu from Andorra took second after coming from fifth after the first run. Thomas Tumler made it two on the podium for Switzerland with third
"It's my third podium but for sure the best one," said Tumler, who also reached the podium in a parallel event in 2020.
For Verdu, the rest that was required by missing the last three races due to a back injury, this was another podium, after Val d'Isere back in December:
"Results like this, they are unique, so it's really special," said the 28-year-old.
"I feel the pressure but I also feel all the support. I'm racing for me, for my country, and to be able to achieve a result like this after a really hard month for me, it's something crazy.
"I try to dream big and like this we can achieve big, big dreams."
For Meillard the victory had a sweet feeling: "I had some low points, let's put it that way," Meillard said. "We kept believing in the work we were putting in every day in training and it paid off at the end of the season.
"In January if someone would have told me I would have been second in the standings, I would have laughed and said, 'No, there's no chance.'" Her who believes takes the spoils!

With 'just' 140 more points needed to better his record season haul from last year, Odermatt was not too down hearted to have missed out on the 'perfect season.'
"In conditions like this, you get faster on your inside ski boots and that happened, and then you slide away very quick and that was the mistake today," Odermatt said.
"I think it wasn't the pressure, I felt very relaxed in the second run," he said.
"A little bit disappointed about the result, about this perfect season which isn't perfect now. But that's ski racing, that's sport, and that's part of it."