Marco Schwarz won the last race of the World Cup before Christmas. Thanks to a great second run the Austrian skier jump from sixth place to the top of the podium of the Night Slalom in Madonna di Campiglio. He finished ahead of the leader of the first run Clement Noël (+0.25) and Dave Ryding (+0.39 seconds). He celebrated his sixth victory, the third win in Slalom, in the Alpine Ski world Cup.
14 of his 23 podiums in the World Cup were in the Slalom discipline. He also finished on the podium in the Slalom Opener in Gurgl. His previous podium in Slalom had been a third place in 2021 in Chamonix.
The 28-year-old all-rounder delivered an impressive demonstration of his consistency. After today's win Marco Schwarz is now leading the overall and the Slalom standings in the Alpine Ski World Cup.
"For sure, it’s one of the best Christmas gifts so far. To win this classic here in Madonna is unbelievable. It’s special to win here. It worked very well. At the bottom I just had to let the skis run and I did it. It’s been a tough season so far, a lot of races in the last couple of weeks, but my body feels good, and I'm comfortable with my skiing. There are still a lot of races left, so I have to keep going like this. In order to be on top you need the important points. Just as Odermatt achieves it in the speed races, I have to achieve it in Slalom", Schwarz said.
The Olympic Champion in Beijing Clement Noël celebrated his 21st World Cup podium in Slalom. The last time the 26-year-old French skier finished on the podium was in Palisades Tahoe on February 26, 2023.
"I am happy with my second place. Marco was very fast. Maybe he will be tired at the next race because he competes in all disciplines. I'm happy with how the race went. The second run is always a little more difficult. My first run was better in Gurgl too", Noël said.
Dave Ryding improved by twelve positions in the second run to finish in third place. It's his 7th podium in the Alpine Ski World Cup. Ryding became today the second-oldest man to record a World Cup Slalom podium finish, after Giuliano Razzoli's third place in Wengen on January 16, 2022 with 37 years and 29 days.
"It's a nice Christmas present. Still got it. I never expected. I always think is the last one, I am 37 you know. I knew I was in a good position being just one second behind and I really like this hill, here and Kitzbühel are my favorites. I really attacked at the top. I don’t know if I was going too straight, but it must have been a fast line", Ryding said.
The next World Cup races will be a Downhill and a Super-G at the Stelvio racecourse in Bormio on December 28 and 29.