MERIBEL, France (March 21, 2015)—On the first day of tech events in Meribel, the crowd was alive—excited to cheer on hometown heroes and the big names alike. Marcel Hirscher came into the race with the giant slalom globe already secured, which left the rest of the men looking for the final World Cup win of the season. 20-year-old Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway took his second World Cup win in a row, while Ted Ligety (Park City, UT) was sixth.
It was a balmy day with sugary snow and ruts forming quickly. But the conditions didn’t affect Kjetil Jansrud of Norway, who needed to finish in the top 15 to keep the pressure on Marcel Hirscher for the overall. Sitting in 21st place out of 23 finishers first run, Jansrud threw down an aggressive second run to move up to 11th, forcing Hirscher to wait until Sunday’s slalom to clinch the overall globe.
Kristoffersen, who won the slalom race just before World Cup Finals, had never won a World Cup giant slalom. But the young tech phenom—who is often compared to Mikaela Shiffrin—put down two impressive runs and took the win by .79 seconds. Fritz Dopfer of Germany was second, while hometown skier Thomas Fanara of France was third.
Marcel Hirscher took the GS crystal globe of the 2015 season. (Getty Images/AFP-Philippe Desmazes)
Ligety grabbed fifth in the first run, and wasn’t satisfied with that position. Because he knew he wasn’t in contention for the GS globe, he wanted to charge for the final World Cup win of the season. But the light got flat and the snow even softer, and even after throwing down an aggressive top of the run, Ligety couldn’t put it together for the podium. But watch out for Ligety next season, Hirscher. He’s determined to take the globe back stateside.
Tim Jitloff (Reno, NV) was the only other American to compete in the GS, finishing in 19th. He had two solid runs, but was a little more passive than he would have liked. However, his coaches are thrilled about his progress this year, and the 30 year old had his best World Cup season yet.
The men’s slalom and women’s giant slalom will wrap up with World Cup Finals and the World Cup season on Sunday.
Henrik Kristoffersen took the lead first run and never gave it up for the final World Cup GS win of the season. (Getty Images/AFP-Jeff Pachoud)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Final GS World Cup standings: Marcel Hirscher first, Alexis Pinturault second and Ted Ligety third
- Marcel Hirscher had clinched the GS globe prior to Meribel, finishing the season 203 points ahead of Pinturault.
- Hirscher has now won the giant slalom title twice (2012, 2015), the slalom twice (2013, 2014) and the overall three times (2012, 2013, 2014).
- Ted Ligety had held the giant slalom title five times (2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014).
- Watch the men’s GS on Universal Sports Network at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET on Saturday and 12 a.m. and 7 a.m. ET on Sunday.
RESULTS
Men’s GS results
Final Men’s GS World Cup standings
