At 34 years old and after participating in his 81st World Cup race spanning 14 seasons, Stefan Brennsteiner clinched his first victory last Friday. The triumph came after Olympic champion Marco Odermatt skied out during the first run of a giant slalom event in Copper Mountain, Colorado, allowing Brennsteiner to secure the win with an impressive lead of 0.95 seconds.
Expressing his joy, Brennsteiner from Austria stated, “It means a lot for me. The last years were quite good, but I had tough times in my career.” Despite experiencing breathing difficulties due to the high altitude of around 3,000 meters (9,850 feet) in Colorado, Norwegian veteran Henrik Kristoffersen finished in second place. Filip Zubcic claimed the third spot, just one second behind the winner, after a rapid second run that propelled him from 13th place.
Notably, Odermatt, who had previously won 27 World Cup giant slalom races in the last five years, failed to finish the race, marking his first non-completion in the discipline since December of the previous year in nearby Beaver Creek.
The competition saw the Swiss star, Odermatt, make an error during the first run while on track to record the fastest time. His misfortune occurred on a cold, clear day in Colorado when he lost control of his ski at a right-hand gate. This mishap followed his recent back-to-back wins, including a super-G victory the day before, as he aims for his fifth consecutive World Cup overall title.
Prior to his recent win, Brennsteiner had achieved four podium finishes in his career, all in giant slalom, with a single second-place finish in March 2022. In the event, Erik Read represented Canada as the sole competitor, finishing 27th with a combined time of 2:34.42.
