In the World Cup giant slalom, Manuel Feller began with start number 1 at Palisades Tahoe in the USA. However, being the first to take on the course didn’t prove to be an advantage for the Tyrolean skier. He struggled to navigate the piste, and due to errors in his run, he ended up opening a significant gap between him and the following competitors.
“It already hurts”
Even after the second start, it became evident that Feller, who had two consecutive podium finishes in the giant slalom, would find it challenging to secure a top placement this time around. Marco Odermatt, another competitor, outperformed Feller by a full 1.79 seconds.
During an ORF-interview, after the first run, Feller admitted, “That does hurt when Odi (Marco Odermatt) swings down, and you find yourself lagging so far behind”. Further, Feller has been training less frequently for the giant slalom due to his chronic back problems and found the piste conditions to be uncomfortable. He commented, “I’m having a hard time with this.”
On the other hand, Marco Odermatt had a reason to celebrate at Palisades Tahoe. The Swiss skier has dominated the giant slalom, winning the last nine races across all seasons. His most formidable opponent, Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen, trails Odermatt by a mere 15 hundredths of a second.
After the first round, the best Austrian performer was Raphael Haaser. The Tyrolean was 1.30 seconds slower than Marco Odermatt. Stefan Brennsteiner, another Austrian competitor, was 2.47 seconds behind at the halfway mark.
There is another Slalom scheduled at Palisades Tahoe on Sunday (7/10 p.m., live ORF1). Manuel Feller is currently leading in the Slalom World Cup. The Tyrolean skier has already triumphed in three races in his specialist discipline this season.
