France’s Jean-Baptiste Grange won the classic floodlit Schladming night slalom on Tuesday for his second World Cup victory in three days.
Winner of a slalom in Kitzbuehel on Sunday, the 2009 slalom World Cup winner clocked a combined time of one minute and 46.54 seconds for his third victory of the season and ninth of his career.
The 26-year-old, who missed most of last season through injury, was also the first Frenchman to win what is arguably the most coveted slalom of the men’s season.
With some 55,000 fans chanting and drinking beer and white wine, Grange beat the Swedish pair of Andre Myhrer and Mattias Hargin — leaders after the first leg — to collect a winner’s jackpot of 27,500 euros (US$37,440).
Myhrer was 0.04 seconds short of victory, while Hargin finished 0.60 adrift.
Grange’s win put an end to four years of Austrian domination in an event that had no local skier on the podium for the first time since 2002.
Without a home skier in the medal positions in Kitzbuehel either, the atmosphere is becoming tenser in the Austrian team with the world championships approaching in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, next month.
Silence fell on the course when local favorite Reinfried Herbst, winner of the last two editions, crashed out just before Grange’s start.
The Frenchman’s run was even delayed by smoke flares thrown by disappointed fans.
The Valloire skier was not the first to win both Kitzbuehel and Schladming, a feat achieved in the last decade by Austrians Benjamin Raich and Manfred Pranger as well as Finn Kalle Palander.
However, he was proud to be the first of his countrymen crowned on the Planai piste.
“We Frenchmen have always been successful in Kitzbuehel but not here. I hope I’ve opened the way and that me and other French guys will win again,” he said.
Myhrer, who relishes night events and was hoping to make it two after his Zagreb victory, was sad to have missed his chance.
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