Daniel Yule from Switzerland claimed his first World Cup victory as Marcel Hirscher and Henrik Kristoffersen faced challenges during the night slalom sessions on Saturday. Yule finished 0.34 seconds ahead of Austria’s Marco Schwarz and 0.50 seconds ahead of Austrian bronze medallist Michael Matt.
Yule, originally in fourth place after the initial run, skillfully navigated the tricky turns on the Canalone Miramonti course in the second leg, which was set by his coach. In contrast, Kristoffersen straddled a gate early in his second run, and Hirscher also struggled to complete his run. Yule expressed his surprise at his win, especially considering the mistakes made by Hirscher and Kristoffersen, whom he considers legends in the sport.
Yule’s previous best results were two third-place finishes in slaloms in Kitzbuehel and Schladming, Austria, earlier in the season. Hirscher, who had won the first two slalom races of the season, maintained his overall World Cup lead despite his challenging run at Madonna di Campiglio. Despite Kristoffersen’s mistake, Hirscher managed to complete his run and finish 26th, about 20 seconds ahead of Yule.
It had been a busy week for Hirscher, who had won a giant slalom and parallel giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy, followed by a slalom race in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria. This race marked Hirscher’s first major mistake since his run at the Pyeongchang Olympics in February. Kristoffersen’s consistent podium finishes have placed him one shy of the men’s record set by Ingemar Stenmark in the 1970s.
