Marco Schwarz Wins the Alpine Ski World Cup Giant Slalom in Alta Badia

Marco Schwarz won the last Giant Slalom of the Alpine Ski World Cup before Christmas in Alta Badia. After a strong first run and a strategic second, the Austrian skier returned to the top of the podium. He finished ahead of Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (+0.18) and teammate Stefan Brennsteiner (+0.22 seconds). He celebrated his seventh victory in the Alpine Ski World Cup. Schwarz secured Austria's first Giant Slalom victory in Alta Badia since Marcel Hirscher seven years ago.

On February 25, 2023, Marco Schwarz celebrated in Palisades Tahoe his first Giant Slalom win in the Alpine Ski World Cup. Close to three years later, Schwarz claimed his second World Cup Giant Slalom victory.

On Dcember 2024, the 30-year-old Austrian skier made his comeback after a serious injury. At the end of 2023, he was leading the overall World Cup standings when a crash in Bormio resulted in a torn cruciate ligament. He spent nearly a year sidelined but showed promising signs of recovery last season, despite it being a hard and painful time. He struggled a lot and felt the most pressure from himself. His last World Cup victory before today was on December 22, 2023, in the Madonna di Campiglio Slalom.

"A lot has happened since my last World Cup victory. It was a challenging time, and I want to express my gratitude to everyone who helped me through it. And being in the lead after the first run and then bringing it home victory is something I've never managed before. That's why I'm incredibly happy. I was able to block out the nerves quite well. But you can't completely block them out when you're in the lead. I tried to focus and stick to my skiing plan, and I think I succeeded," Schwarz said.

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen claimed his second podium of the season after giving Brazil its first-ever Alpine Ski World Cup victory.

"At the end of the day, this sport is all about close calls; it’s all about margins. Marco was the best man today. I am so proud to have put myself back on the podium," Pinheiro Braathen said.

Stefan Brennsteiner celebrated his second podium finish of the season, coming in third after his maiden World Cup victory in Copper Mountain three weeks ago. The Austrian took the lead of the Giant Slalom standings. World Cup dominator Marco Odermatt finished in sixth place today and is currently second, 15 points behind Brennsteiner, who has finished in the Top-4 in all the season's races.

"That’s amazing, I didn’t think a third place was possible. But Odermatt isn’t a machine either. My form is just really, really good right now. I didn’t feel quite right in the second run; I couldn’t control the skis as I wanted, but it was still a very good run. That’s why I’m so happy," Brennsteiner said.