Feller leads Austrian sweep of slalom podium at dwelling with third World Cup win

Manuel Feller led an Austrian sweep of the rostrum at a males’s World Cup slalom Saturday in a race that was interrupted by local weather activists.

With 5 racers nonetheless to begin their last run, a handful of protesters from the Final Technology motion entered the course in Gurgl, Austria, simply behind the end line and sprinkled an orange-coloured powder on the snow.

The activists have been transported out of the end space by safety workers and police, whereas course employees cleaned the snow earlier than the race resumed eight minutes later.

In a put up on social community X, previously Twitter, Final Technology stated the motion was a protest towards governmental subsidies for fossil fuels.

The identical group additionally protested previous to the earlier World Cup race in Austria in October, after they blocked the one mountain street as much as the glacier in Soelden as three protesters sat down for about 20 minutes, stopping followers in shuttle busses and automobiles attempting to get to the venue for the season-opening big slalom.

Males’s race director Markus Waldner advised Austrian TV that the Worldwide Ski and Snowboard Federation would rethink its security measures at races, with safety workers higher positioned across the end space to forestall spectators from coming into the course.

Waldner added the race outcome had not been affected by the protest, though 4 of the 5 skiers who have been made to attend at the beginning gate had disappointing second runs and completed outdoors the highest seven.

WATCH | Feller 1st Austrian to win World Cup race in almost 2 years:

Feller didn’t appear affected by incident and held on to his first-run result in beat teammate Marco Schwarz by 0.23 seconds in a single minute 47.23 seconds, whereas Michael Matt was 1.05 behind in third (1:48.28) to finish the Austrian triple on the Kirchenkar course, a brand new venue on the circuit.

“It is essential that there are individuals who rise up for such [issues]. However, should you enter the end space right here, you can not maintain any occasion anymore,” Feller stated concerning the local weather activists. “Typically, we should always ensure that we modify one thing, that is clear, however I believe the game of snowboarding is doing a superb job on this respect.”

Feller earned his third win on the World Cup circuit and ended an Austrian drought in males’s slalom. No Austrian skier had gained a slalom since Johannes Strolz triumphed in Adelboden in January 2022, a stretch of 17 races.

“For me that is extremely cool,” Feller stated. “Nothing is nicer than successful, besides successful with two teammates standing subsequent to you on the rostrum.”

Canadian trio misses 2nd run

It was the fourth sweep for the Austrian slalom staff in a significant race, and the primary since Marcel Hirscher, Matt and Schwarz gained the medals on the 2019 world championship race in Are, Sweden.

Britain’s Dave Ryding completed fourth, and slalom world champion Henrik Kristoffersen was seventh. Fellow Norwegian Lucas Braathen, who gained the World Cup slalom title final yr, retired in October.

Calgary’s Erik Learn, a two-time Olympian, did not qualify for the second run after a 57.53-second effort. Toronto’s Justin Alkier and Liam Wallace didn’t end the opening run.

Clement Noel, the Olympic champion from France, was second after the opening run however dropped to twelfth.

AJ Ginnis, who took silver on the world championships in February for Greece’s first medal in winter sports activities at a significant occasion, was the third-fastest starter within the first run earlier than straddling a gate.

The slalom was the primary males’s race of the season to be accomplished. The GS in Soelden was cancelled after 47 starters within the first run because of sturdy winds. Two cross-border males’s downhills in Switzerland and Italy have been known as off final weekend amid sturdy winds and heavy snowfalls.

Final season, 5 of the primary six occasions needed to be canceled or rescheduled due to dangerous climate.

The following males’s races are at Beaver Creek, Colo., with two downhills and a super-G scheduled from Dec. 1-3.

WATCH | Full protection of males’s 2nd slalom run from Gurgl, Austria: