ALPINE SKIING: Norway’s Kristoffersen earns sweet Worlds golds in men’s Giant Slalom

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen

If it were not for the great Marcel Hirscher (AUT), Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen would be one of the most decorated skiers on the planet.

But the technical ace has consistently finished behind Hirscher in race after race, only occasionally breaking through with a win on the World Cup circuit. This season, he has three second-place finishes and two third-place finishes in races won by Hirscher, including three in Giant Slaloms.

So when Kristoffersen finished the first run of the FIS World Championships Giant Slalom in Are (SWE) in third place, behind France’s Alexis Pinturault and Hirscher, it looked like another medal – a bronze – might be in order.

But the margin was tight, as Kristoffersen was just 0.18 in back of Pinturault. The first 27 skiers in the final run did not approach the top three and so when Hirscher went down in the 28th position, he promptly took the lead with a 1:10.37 time, even though it was only the ninth-fastest of the second run.

Kristoffersen was next and skied aggressively and finished in 1:10.09, faster than Hirscher and jumping into the lead himself with only Pinturault left to go.

The Frenchman’s effort was good, but there were too many mistakes in his run, only the 19th-fastest of the second run and left him with the bronze medal.

Kristoffersen’s win is his first-ever World Championships medal and, of course, his first win. It’s also a rare Giant Slalom victory for him. He had previously won only once on the World Cup tour in this race, back in March, 2015. But he moved up from the silver he won in the PyeongChang Giant Slalom last year, to the top of the victory stand.

Hirscher, feeling better after having a bad cold earlier in the week, will now look to Sunday’s Slalom for a 2019 Worlds gold. His silver is his 10th career Worlds medal, and he has a streak of gold medals in three straight Worlds (2013-15-17) that will be on the line on Sunday.

FIS Alpine World Championships
Are (SWE) ~ 5-17 February 2019
(Full results here)

Men

Downhill: 1. Kjetil Jansrud (NOR), 1:19.98; 2. Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR), 1:20.00; 3. Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT), 1:20.31; 4. Beat Feuz (SUI), 1:20.42; 5. Matthias Mayer (AUT), 1:20.63; 6. Dominik Paris (ITA), 1:20.72; 7. Benjamin Thomsen (CAN), 1:20.73; 8. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR), 1:20.80. Also: 9 (tie). Bryce Bennett (USA), 1:20.81; … 12. Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA), 1:21.00; … 23. Steven Nyman (USA), 1:21.55; … 26. Travis Ganong (USA), 1:21.63.

Super-G: 1. Paris (ITA), 1:24.20; 2. tie, Johan Clarey (FRA) and Kriechmayr (AUT), 1:24.29; 4. Christof Innerhofer (ITA), 1:24.55; 5. Adrien Theaux (FRA), 1:24.57; 6. Josef Ferstl (GER), 1:24.59; 7. Brice Roger (FRA), 1:24.61; 8. tie, Mattia Casse (ITA), Nyman (USA) and Adrian Sejersted (NOR), 1:24.70. Also in the top 25: 11. Cochran-Siegle (USA), 1:24.73; … 23. Bennett (USA), 1:25.82.

Giant Slalom: 1. Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR), 2:20.24; 2. Marcel Hirscher (AUT), 2:20.44; 3. Alexis Pinturault (FRA), 2:20.66; 4. Loic Meillard (FRA), 2:21.16; 5. tie, Marco Schwarz (SUI) and Zan Kranjec (SLO), 2:21.28; 7. Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen (NOR), 2:21.32; 8. Alexander Schmid (GER), 2:21.43. Also: 11. Ted Ligety (USA), 2:21.78; 12. Tommy Ford (USA), 2:21.80; … 21. Cochran-Siegle (USA), 2:23.88.

Combined: 1. Pinturault (FRA), 1:47.71 (24th in Downhill + 2nd in Slalom); 2. Stefan Hadalin (SLO), 1:47.95 (30+1); 3. Schwarz (AUT), 1:48.17 (21+4); 4. Riccardo Tonetti (ITA), 1:48.38 (16+6); 5. Linus Strasser (GER), 1:48.51 (29+3); 6. Victor Muffat-Jeandet (FRA), 1:48.52 (23+5); 7. Mauro Caviezel (SUI), 1:48.57 (8+8); 8. Luca Aerni (SUI), 1:48.73 (20+7). Also: 11. Bennett (USA), 1:49.59 (18+13);’ … 18. Cochran-Siegle (USA), 1:49.84 (2+36).

Women

Downhill: 1. Ilka Stuhec (SLO), 1:01.74; 2. Corinne Suter (SUI), 1:01.97; 3. Lindsey Vonn (USA), 1:02.23; 4. Stephanie Venier (AUT), 1:02.27; 5. Ragnhild Mowinckel (NOR), 1:02.33; 6. Nicol Delago (ITA), 1:02.36; 7. Ramona Siebenhofer (AUT), 1:02.38; 8. Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI), 1:02.52. Also: 22. Alice Merryweather (USA), 1:03.26.

Super-G: 1. Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), 1:04.89; 2. Sofia Goggia (ITA), 1:04.91; 3. Corinne Suter (SUI), 1:04.94; 4. Viktor Rebensburg (GER), 1:04.96; 5. Nadia Fanchini (ITA), 1:05.03; 6. Ragnhild Mowinckel (NOR), 1:05.05; 7. Francesca Marsaglia (ITA), 1:05.13; 8. Stuhec (SLO), 1:05.15; 9. Lara Gut-Behrami (SUI), 1:05.37; 10. Federica Brignone (ITA), 1:05.43. Also in the top 25: 22. Merryweather (USA), 1:07.22.

Giant Slalom: 1. Petra Vlhova (SVK), 2:01.97; 2. Rebensburg (GER), 2:02.11; 3. Shiffrin (USA), 2:02.35; 4. Mowinckel (NOR), 2:02.47; 5. Brignone (ITA), 2:02.84; 6. Tessa Worley (FRA), 2:03.06; 7. Sara Hector (SWE), 2:03.91; 8. Clara Direz (FRA), 2:04.18.

Combined: 1. Wendy Holdener (SUI), 2:02:13 (5th in Downhill + 3rd in Slalom); 2. Vlhova (SVK), 2:02.16 (8+2); 3. Mowinckel (NOR), 2:02.58 (3+6); 4. Ramona Siebenhofer (AUT), 2:02.62 (1+8); 5. Roni Remme (CAN), 2:02.26 (28+1); 6. Brignone (ITA), 2:03.52 (6+10); 7. Kasja Vickhoff Lie (NOR), 2:03.64 (15+5); 8. Franziska Gritsch (AUT), 2:03.82 (29+4). Also: 18. Merryweather (USA), 2:06.63 (10+21).

Mixed

Team Event/ Big Final: 1. Switzerland (Holdener, Matt, Truppe, Zenhaeusern); 2. Austria (Linsberger, Yule, Danioth, Schwarz). Small Final: 3. Italy (Curtoni, Della Mea, Maurberger, Vinatzer); 4. Germany (Duerr, Geiger, Strasser, Tremmel). Semis: Austria d. Italy, 2-2 (49.23-49.52); Switzerland d. Germany, 2-2 (48.75-48.95). Third: Italy d. Germany, 3-1. Final: Switzerland d. Austria, 2-2 (48.13-48.90).