The Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath leads after the first round of the slalom classic Madonna di Campiglio in front of the Swiss Loic Meillard and the Croatian Samuel Collector.
Is in a promising position for the second round Manuel Feller in fourth place, 0.74 seconds behind the leader. “The barrel was clean, maybe even a little too clean,” Feller said in the ORF-Interview. “The material was a great fit. I know that I can rely on my stuff.”
Marco Schwarz had big plans for Madonna. A little over a year ago he celebrated his last victory here. Six days later, the cruciate ligament tore and the dream of the overall World Cup was shattered. Now Schwarz is back again – but he wasn’t able to gain much racing practice: threader after a few goals. He then sat in the finish area disappointed.
“I moved in, then I drove out. That’s very, very bitter,” said Schwarz afterwards. “It’s not going well. But complaining doesn’t help. I have to stick with it, keep working and earn my trust again, maybe even force it. Things are going okay in training. I’m not among the fastest, but I’m happy with it the process, how it works.”
The race ended just as early for Frenchman Clement Noel. The Beijing 2022 Olympic slalom champion slipped past a gate. After a good ride, Timon Haugan (NOR) was eliminated. The Austrian Joshua Sturm also did not reach the finish.
Adelboden giant slalom only on Sunday
At the men’s World Cup in Adelboden the races will be swapped due to the weather forecast. The slalom will therefore take place on Saturday and the giant slalom will now take place on Sunday (10:30 a.m./1:30 p.m.). The FIS announced this on Wednesday.