Latest news with #Haaser
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Austria's Haaser claims surprise GS world champion, Odermatt fourth
Raphael Haaser claimed a stunning giant slalom world title for hosts Austria on Friday to end Switzerland's golden run in the men's events and leave only fourth place for top favourite Marco Odermatt. A week after getting super-g silver, Haaser stormed from fifth after the first run to his biggest career success ahead of three Swiss skiers. Thomas Tumler climbed from sixth to a surprise silver, .23 of a second back. Loic Meillard took bronze, seven-hundredths ahead of defending and Olympic champion Odermatt. The Swiss had won all previous three men's events in Saalbach from Odermatt in the super-g, Franjo von Allmen in the downhill and Von Allmen/Meillard in the team combined. Haaser delights Austria Haaser, who had never won a World Cup race or made a giant slalom podium before, gave the home team a second gold, following Stephanie Venier's success in the women's super-g. He had missed several weeks this season with a knee injury before returning in time for the worlds. "It is unbelievable. I have never been top in a World Cup race, and now at the home worlds - and in giant slalom where I have sometimes been annoyed," Haaser told Austrian bvroadcasters ORF. "I told myself that I have nothing to lose. All that counts is first, second, third. I gave my best." Odermatt, Haugan pay for mistakes Odermatt added super-g gold last week to his 2023 titles in giant slalom and downhill, but now missed the podium for the second time when he dropped from third to fourth, after coming fifth in the downhill. Odermatt had a big mistake in thje upper part of the second run, just like first run leader Timon Haugan of Norway who faded to seventh. "I was happy with the first run. In the second I tried to push but made a huger mistake. But it would have been difficult to win because Raphael had a great run," Odermatt told Eurosport. Haugan said: "It is tough to start with a big mistake. It was still possible but maybe I didn't believe in it. I was never in this position before (as first run leader)." Another record beckons for Shiffrin The Saalbach championships continue on Saturday with the women's slalom where American star Mikaela Shiffrin eyes a record 16th overall medal after getting combined team gold on Tuesday togetherr with Breezy Johnson. Shiffrin has medalled in her pet event at the last six worlds with four golds, a silver and a bronze, but the winner of 99 World Cup events has only had two races since returning from an abdominal injury she sustained in late November.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Austrian skier Haaser storms to world giant slalom gold
Austria's Raphael Haaser has kick-started a home party as he stormed to gold in the men's giant slalom at the Alpine Skiing World Championships after a superb second run. Switzerland's domination of the championships had been expected to continue on Friday with world and Olympic champion Marco Odermatt the pre-race favourite. But after the opening run raced in poor visibility, the 27-year-old Haaser jumped from fifth to the top of the leaderboard with a rip-roaring second descent. It was the biggest win of his career and delivered Austria's second gold medal of the championships on home snow and the first in the men's events. "It's just such an unbelievable day. Really happy with this race," said Haaser, whose best result in a World Cup giant slalom is seventh. "I think I was capable to ski in the top 10 permanently, but stepping on top of the podium, didn't expect that." When Haaser crossed the line for a combined time of 2min 39.71sec, there were still four more racers to come, including Odermatt and surprise first-run leader Timon Haugan of Norway. But Odermatt made too many mistakes as his chance of adding to his super-G gold disappeared and he finished fourth. When Haugan lost time in his second attempt, Haaser could start celebrating his first world title, having finished second behind Odermatt in the super-G. Swiss Thomas Tumler finished 0.23 seconds behind in second place with teammate Loic Meillard in third place.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Haaser upstages Odermatt and Swiss for world giant slalom gold
Austria's Raphael Haaser upstaged defending champion Marco Odermatt and the Swiss men's team to claim world giant slalom gold on home snow in Saalbach on Friday. Haaser, who won silver in last week's super-G behind Odermatt, timed 2min 39.71sec down the Schneekristall piste in overcast conditions. The Swiss pair of Thomas Tumler and Loic Meillard rounded out the podium, at 0.23 and 0.51sec respectively, with Odermatt fourth a further 0.07sec adrift. "I'm very happy with the day's race," said Haaser. "I really do not know where this came from. "I thought top 10, but being top of podium, well I did not expect that. Business as usual for Austria!" Norway's Timon Haugan, quickest down the first run, had headed into the second and decisive leg of the GS with a vital 0.24sec advantage over defending champ Odermatt, the odds-on favourite. But it was not to be for either of them. "The first run I was pretty accurate, the second I really tried to push," said Odermatt, whose super-G victory was the first of three straight golds for the Swiss men's team (downhill, team combined). "I think even with a perfect run it would have been very tight for me to win. Fourth place is never nice." It was an astonishing victory for Haaser, who had never made a GS podium before and whose place in the team had come at the last minute at the expense of Manuel Feller. "He's had a tough season with an injury, and then a very strong comeback with two second places and then finally victory in the world giant slalom, which is amazing," Austrian ski federation CEO Christian Scherer said. "We always had trust and confidence in him because he's a very talented skier. It's also great that we closed the gap in the medal tally and it's not over yet." Germany's Anton Grammel made the early running, laying down a barn-storming run after finishing 22nd fastest in the first leg. The lead then passed in quick succession from Slovenia's Zan Kranjec and Norway's Atle Lie McGrath to France's Thibaud Favrot and Norway's 2019 GS champion Henrik Kristoffersen. The partisan, flag-waving, airhorn-blowing, 15,000-strong crowd packed in around the finish area erupted when home favourite Marco Schwarz came down to take the provisional lead. But that was short-lived as 35-year-old Tumler, who notched up his maiden World Cup victory just this season, clocked 2:39.94. - 'No can do' - That left the top six to come. Italy's Luca De Aliprandini made a mistake to fade away from a podium placing before the crowd went wild for Haaser, who had impressed in the super-G a day after his sister Ricarda suffered a season-ending knee injury in the women's race. The Austrian regained his footing after an early mistake to shoot into the lead and pile the pressure on the four remaining racers. There was drama as Norway's Alexander Steen Olsen, second in the World Cup GS standings behind Odermatt, threatened but went into the red and finally skied out. Odermatt looked in impressive gliding form, but his skis ran away from him, a late turn losing him valuable seconds as he came down behind Haaser and Tumler. Next up was Meillard, boasting a 0.60sec advantage. The 28-year-old consolidated that lead on the first two intermediaries, but then lost time, albeit edging in ahead of Odermatt. All eyes turned to the start hut and the figure of Haugan. And the pressure told, the Norwegian making a massive mistake three gates in that saw his -0.62sec deficit instantly change to +0.11sec surplus. But he battled back, only to lose costly tenths of seconds in the final descent to finally finish seventh, a full second off Haaser. "I was very nervous as I've never been in this position before, leading at halfway," said Haugan. "I still think of it as such a cool experience and will learn from this for the future." Norway-born Lucas Pinheiro Braathen's hopes of securing a first-ever world medal for Brazil, after a fall-out with the Norwegian federation saw him switch allegiance to his mother's homeland, finished 14th, 1.44sec off Haaser's winning time. "It was a tough day," said Pinheiro Braathen. "I just was not on the level, I never felt comfortable on my skis. "It has been 'no can do' at these world champs." lp/pi
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Austria's Haaser claims giant slalom gold, no podium for Odermatt
Raphael Haaser claimed a stunning giant slalom world title for hosts Austria to end Switzerland's golden run in the men's events and leave only fourth place for top favourite Marco Odermatt. A week after getting super-g silver, Haaser rose from fifth after the first run to his biggest career success ahead of three Swiss skiers. Thomas Tumler climbed from sixth to a surprise silver, .23 of a second back. Loic Meillard took bronze, seven-hundredths ahead of defending and Olympic champion Odermatt. Odermatt won super-g gold last week but now missed the podium for the second time when he dropped from third to fourth, after coming fifth in the downhill. First run leader Timon Haugan of Norway faded to seventh. The Swiss had won all previous three men's events in Saalbach from Odermatt in the super-g, Franjo von Allmen in the downhill and Von Allmen/Meillard in the team combined. Haaser, who had never made a giant slalom podium before, gave the home team a second gold, following Stephanie Venier's success in the women's super-g.
NBC Sports
14-02-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Raphael Haaser stuns to win Alpine worlds giant slalom, ends Swiss men's bid for gold sweep
Austrian Raphael Haaser went from fifth place to win the World Alpine Skiing Championships giant slalom, the first top-level victory of his career. Haaser, 27, prevailed by 23 hundredths of a second over Swiss Thomas Tumler combining times from two runs in Saalbach, Austria, on Friday. The Swiss finished second, third (Loic Meillard) and fourth (defending world champion Marco Odermatt). Haaser ended the Swiss bid to sweep the men's golds at worlds after they won the first three events. There is still a slalom on Sunday. ALPINE SKIING WORLDS: Results | Broadcast Schedule Haaser was fifth place after the first run, 62 hundredths behind leader Timon Haugan of Norway. Haaser had the fourth-fastest second run, while none of the top four men from the first run finished in the 19 of the second run. Haaser, who has yet to win on the World Cup circuit, now has a world championships medal of every color (super-G silver last Friday, plus a combined bronze in 2023). River Radamus was the top American on Friday in 17th. Worlds continue Saturday with the women's slalom featuring Mikaela Shiffrin, live at 3:45 and 7:15 a.m. ET on Peacock. Nick Zaccardi,
