The men’s Alpine Ski World Cup rolled into one of its most unforgiving venues on Sunday, December 21, with the Giant Slalom on the Gran Risa in Alta Badia, Italy, delivering drama, surprises, and razor-thin margins—exactly what the steep, technical slope is famous for.
Run 1: Schwarz Lays Down the Gauntlet
Starting in bib 1, Austria’s Marco Schwarz wasted no time setting the tone. He laid down a near-flawless opening run, stopping the clock at 1:16.00, a time that proved untouchable for the rest of the field. On a slope that was flatter, grippier, and less icy than in previous years, Schwarz trusted his instincts and skied clean from top to bottom.
Behind him, the gaps opened up fast. Norway; Henrik Kristoffersen in bib 2 struggled to find rhythm and finished a surprising 1.52 seconds back, ultimately qualifying only 12th. Stefan Brennsteiner, Schwarz’s Austrian teammate, delivered a strong run to sit third at the halfway mark, while Brazilian-Norwegian Lucas Braathen slotted into fifth.
One of the standout performances of the first run came from Team USA’s River Radamus, who attacked the Gran Risa aggressively and skied into second place, just 0.64 seconds behind Schwarz—a massive result given the size of the gaps elsewhere. Equally impressive was his teammate Bridger Gile in bib 46, who qualified for run 2 with a strong run that landed him in 13th place. Team USA’s other skiers failed to qualify for run 2.
- Related: River Radamus Claims First Career Podium While Marco Odermatt Secures Overall Crystal Globe
Further down the order, Loevan Parand in bib 53 skied into 14th place, continuing the French skier’s great year, which has seen him with now four career top 30 finishes. Likewise, Tobias Kastlunger, starting all the way back in bib 57, did enough to sneak into the second run, setting the stage for what would become a wildly unpredictable finale.
Run 2: Chaos, Comebacks, and a Long Wait at the Top
The second run opened with Kastlunger, who set an initial benchmark of 1:18.79. Moments later, Germany’s Fabian Gratz detonated the course, going nearly two seconds faster and rocketing into the leader’s chair.
What followed was one of the most unexpected holding patterns of the season. Gratz—who had qualified more than two-and-a-half seconds behind Schwarz and has never stood on an individual World Cup podium—watched racer after racer fail to beat his combined time. Even Marco Odermatt, winner of the last four Giant Slaloms in Alta Badia and the clear pre-race favorite, couldn’t dislodge him, despite holding more than a second advantage after run 1. Odermatt crossed the line 0.34 seconds back, a sign of just how tricky the rutted, shaded mid-section had become.
As the start list shrank into the top five, the Gran Risa continued to bite. Braathen, now racing for Brazil, fought his way down with trademark aggression. He extended his advantage in the top section, survived the shaded mid-course where others hemorrhaged time, and carried enough speed into the final pitch to take the lead by 0.30 seconds.
With four skiers left, the fight for the podium was on. Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath made several costly mistakes up high but regrouped lower down, sliding into second place behind Braathen. Stefan Brennsteiner was smooth and composed, clawing back time through the tricky mid-section where Braathen had lost nearly a second, but it wasn’t enough to unseat the Brazilian, and Brennsteiner slotted in between the two former teammates and best friends.
River Radamus, hell-bent on a podium, attacked with intensity, but a scary skid and small mistakes through the shadows cost him valuable time and knocked him out of contention and pushing him down the ranks behind Odermatt.
- Related: Austrian Ski Racer Marco Schwarz Out for Rest of Season After Devastating Crash in Bormio, Italy
That left just one man: Austria’s Schwarz, whose early advantage evaporated quickly at the top, but the Austrian steadied himself, squeezed time out of the bottom section, and crossed the line 0.18 seconds ahead of Braathen, sealing his first World Cup victory in almost exactly two years. Schwarz’s winning combined time of 2:35.02 earned him a deeply emotional victory, coming nearly two years after he tore his ACL and last stood atop a World Cup podium. “It was a close race,” Schwarz said afterward. “I trusted my instincts and just let the skis run.”
Braathen had to settle for second, missing out on another World Cup win for Brazil by just 0.16 seconds, while Brennsteiner completed the podium in third, just 0.22 seconds back. River Radamus finished the day in seventh place. He has shown he has got what it takes to ski onto the podium, but today’s second run simply had too many mistakes on the rutted course. His teammate, Bridger Gile, unfortunately, recorded a DNF after his binding opened on the mid-section. Gratz’s remarkable second run ultimately earned him fifth place, a career-best result and one of the performances of the day.
Brennsteiner’s podium was enough to give him a five-point lead in the Giant Slalom standings over Odermatt, who finished sixth, 0.82 seconds off the pace. Schwarz now sits third in the Giant Slalom standings and second overall, though he still trails Odermatt in the latter by a sizable 454 points, as the Swiss has won several races in other disciplines. For Kristoffersen, an 11th-place finish meant further lost ground in both the Giant Slalom and overall title races, though he’ll look to rebound in Monday’s slalom—his strongest discipline.
Odermatt expressed surprise at his own performance later that day on his social media account, writing: “1731 days… since I last finished a world cup giantslalom not on the podium… this is f**ing crazy and makes me more proud than disappointed #6th
If some little pieces don’t fit together perfectly, it’s just not enough to be on top in that high level racing at the moment – congrats to the podium
Taking back home 300 points from Italy, which is not to bad;)”—not too bad, indeed!
Ski racing takes a break after Monday’s race for the Christmas holidays until December 27, when a single Super-G is held in Livigno, Italy. The tech skiers have a longer break until January 7, 2026, when a Night Slalom is held inMadonna di Campiglio, Italy.
