Feller extends Austrian men’s unbeaten slalom run with 5th World Cup win
Manuel Feller denied the young Norwegian team another win at Adelboden in a World Cup slalom on Sunday and extended Austria’s unbeaten run in the discipline this season.
Feller rose from fifth after the first run to be 0.02 seconds faster than Atle Lie McGrath. Then first-run leader Alexander Steen Olsen fell within seconds of starting a potentially decisive run.
“I saw ‘OK, these young guns from Norway they’re going really hard,”‘ Feller said from Switzerland, “so I need to go a little bit more on the limit.”
His teammate Dominik Raschner, wearing low-ranked bib No. 35, was 0.23 back in third having been just 16th-fastest in the morning run.
Feller yelled with excitement while sitting in the course-side leader’s seat on seeing McGrath cross the line having lost a lead of 0.25 at the final time check.
WATCH | Feller captures 2nd World Cup slalom of season:
Manuel Feller of Austrian captured Sunday’s World Cup slalom race in Adelboden, Switzerland with a winning time of 1:52.62.
McGrath smiled and pointed across the finish area to his opponent. He finished second at Adelboden for the second straight time after being edged by his teammate and close friend Lucas Braathen one year ago.
Austria has won all three men’s slaloms this season with Feller’s season-opening win at Gurgl, Austria, followed by Marco Schwarz’s victory at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy.
Erik Read, the lone Canadian in the competition, was 20th of 27 finishers. The Calgarian posted a two-run time of 1:54.81, 2.19 seconds behind Feller.
Feller’s fifth career World Cup win, all in slalom, lifted him atop the season-long discipline standings above Schwarz, whose season was ended last month by a crash in downhill.
The fog that affected visibility Saturday, where Norway had five top-10 finishers in giant slalom, was still present on the Chuenisbärgli course.
Olympic champion Clement Noel was among racers failing to finish the first run, skiing out within 10 seconds.
Adelboden opened a peak mid-season stretch for men’s slalom racers, who also visit storied venues Wengen, Switzerland, then Kitzbuhel and Schladming in Austria over the next 17 days.
WATCH | Full coverage of men’s slalom: Sunday’s 2nd run:
Watch the second run of the men’s FIS Alpine World Cup slalom ski race from Adelboden, Switzerland.
