The Swiss finish the giant slalom World Cup season with a double victory. Loïc Meillard wins the final in Sun Valley ahead of Marco Odermatt, who sets the fastest time in the 2nd run.
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- Loïc Meillard is in a league of his own in the giant slalom in Sun Valley and wins by almost a second ahead of Marco Odermatt.
- Marco Odermatt sets the best time in the second run and moves up from 6th to 2nd place.
- Henrik Kristoffersen finishes 3rd behind the Swiss duo.
It's not as if Loïc Meillard doesn't deliver top results in the first phase of a World Cup winter. However, it is noticeable that he obviously needs some time to improve from podium to winning skier. He had never won a top-level race before the end of January. In fact, five of his seven first places have only been achieved in the month of March.
Meillard will certainly not be unhappy that the major events take place in February. At this year's World Championships in Saalbach, his performance earned him gold in the slalom and, alongside Franjo von Allmen, third place in the team combined and giant slalom.
Meillard took his top form with him from Glemmtal to Norway. In Hafjell a week and a half ago, he won the giant slalom and the slalom within 24 hours. And now the man from Neuchâtel, who moved to Valais with his family as a teenager, struck again - and repeated what he had already achieved twelve months ago in Saalbach by winning the last giant slalom of the World Cup season.
Meillard set the course for victory with a clear best time in the first run. He coped best by far on the special, highly twisting course in unusual terrain and distanced the competition by a good half a second or more. Meillard made the most of this perfect starting position. In the final rankings, he was almost a second ahead of Odermatt. Third place went to the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen.
Meillard is still fighting for the slalom globe
The new victory comes at the end of a season that did not start well for Meillard. He had to forgo taking part in the giant slalom on the Rettenbach glacier above Sölden at the end of October because his back pain had become too severe shortly before the start. His problem area continued to bother him throughout the winter. It is all the more astonishing that Meillard put in such a convincing performance.
On Thursday, Meillard will have another opportunity to show off his superb form. The last race of the winter is the slalom.
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