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Lucas Braathen of Norway reacts in the finish area of a men’s Alpine Skiing World Cup slalom race in Wengen, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Luciano Bisi)
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Lucas Braathen of Norway reacts in the finish area of a men’s Alpine Skiing World Cup slalom race in Wengen, Switzerland, Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022. (AP Photo/Luciano Bisi)
WENGEN, Switzerland (AP) — Starting in 29th place after the first run, Lucas Braathen picked up a stunning victory in a World Cup slalom on Sunday.
Braathen sat in the finish area leader’s box for 45 minutes, looking increasingly in disbelief until the last runner, his Norwegian teammate Henrik Kristoffersen, strode through a gate in sight of a clear victory.
The error handed victory to Braathen who was almost a second quicker than any rival in moto two on the snow which was ripping under the hot sun.
In the end, Braathen was 0.22 seconds ahead of Daniel Yule of Switzerland. 2010 Olympic champion Guiliano Razzoli of Italy was third at 0.29 for his best result in six years at 37.
Braathen’s victory was also notable for starting the day among the lowest-ranked riders wearing bib No. 31.
It was the second Sunday in a row that a Swiss slalom had been won by an underdog, after Johannes Strolz carried the No.38 to victory in nearby Adelboden.
“Words cannot describe how grateful I am,” said Braathen, 21, whose rankings plummeted after a season-ending knee injury a year ago in the Adelboden giant slalom .
Before his serious injury, Braathen showed his talent by winning the season-opening giant slalom in Sölden, Austria in October 2020.
Braathen had also been fast in the first run on Sunday, until losing pace in the bottom half to barely make it into the top 30 runners qualifying for the second leg.
“After my mistake in the first run, I was looking forward to redeeming myself in the second,” said Braathen, whose father is Norwegian and mother Brazilian.
Braathen was helped by the early use of the second run snow surface and a gate setting designed by a Norway team coach.
A steep and tricky midsection saw several riders crash. Italian prospect Alex Vinatzer lost one ski, Austrian Christian Hirschbuehl lost both and Switzerland’s Luca Aerni was thrown through the air with both skis above the snow.
The three men on the podium posted their best results of the season, and Yule’s second place finish was the best by a Swiss slalom skier in Wengen for 23 years.
Razzoli now has four consecutive top-10 finishes in a season that has revitalized his career ahead of the Beijing Olympics next month.
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