After a break of 2,051 days, one of the great stars of alpine skiing in this century – Marcel Hirscher, made a more than fitting return to the slopes.
In the giant slalom in the Austrian winter center of Sölden, which traditionally kicks off the World Cup, the 35-year-old sent his compatriots into ecstasy, finishing both heats to finish 23rd in the final standings.
In his first descent in over 5 years, Hirscher finished 28th. In the second run, the Alpine rider, now riding for his mother’s homeland, the Netherlands, performed superbly with a 3rd time.
17,200 viewers witnessed the return of Hirscher, who is an 8-time winner of the big crystal globe for #1 after 5 years.
In the second descent, another returning skier was the fastest. After a break of 1 year, the Norwegian Lucas Broten, like the Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Broten, almost missed the podium. He finished 4th, being overtaken by three of his compatriots.
Alexander Sten Olsen won his first victory in the giant slalom and second overall for the world cup. The other two Norwegians in the top three are Henrik Kristoffersen and Atle Lee McGrath.
Otherwise, Hirscher started 34th, and he should have been last in the ranking. In addition, the start interval after #30 in the first heat was changed to 1.25 minutes for the first 41 on the start list, so that he and Lucas Pinheiro Broten could safely make their descent. The last one was number 41.
Broten announced he was quitting before last season amid scandals over his commercial rights with the Norwegian federation and expectedly took a passport from Brazil alongside his mother, who is from there.
The big star in skiing at the moment, Marco Odermatt of Switzerland, did not finish the first run in Sölden. Thus, for the first time from Beaver Creek (USA) in 2019, he fell on the first descent in a giant slalom.
“This is one of the most emotional moments for me. Just a day ago I wasn’t very confident, but somehow things worked out. The important thing is that I didn’t fail,” said Hirscher after the race, who literally drove the audience crazy with his presence.