Braathen clinches maiden World Cup victory in thrilling Giant Slalom duel
BySportsbeat
Published 18/10/2020 at 15:20 GMT
The 20-year-old Norwegian toppled Marco Odermatt by just 0.05s to scoop his first World Cup podium and get his season off to the perfect start
Eurosport
Image credit: Eurosport
Lucas Braathen believes his maiden World Cup victory is a sign of things to come after winning a breathless Giant Slalom encounter in Soelden.
The 20-year-old hotshot held off Switzerland's Marco Odermatt by just 0.05s in Austria as a consistent pair of runs edged him over the line.
Victory also marked the Norwegian's first World Cup podium and he wants the 'unbelievable' result to send a statement of intent to his rivals.
"I'm not here for fifth place - I want first," he said.
"Second run I went for it. First victory, first race of the season is unbelievable.
"I know that my mental side is strong. I know that my technical skiing has improved a lot. I knew that I was capable of a podium."
Odermatt's compatriot Gino Caviezel scooped the final spot on the podium but it was Braathen who stole the show in a thrilling first World Cup event of the season.
The Scandinavian stopped the clock in 1:08.37 in his first run to put himself in contention, before a speedy second of 1:06.04 toppled Odermatt, the 2016 junior world champion, by a hair's breadth.
Caviezel, meanwhile, had clocked the event's fastest first run with a time of 1:08.13 but a lacklustre second saw Odermatt leapfrog him into second.
France's Alexis Pinturault finished fourth in the season curtain-raiser, while Loic Meillard made it three Swiss skiers in the top five after stopping the clock in a total time of 2:14.97.
It was all about Braathen in Austria, however, who clocked a brilliant total of 2:14.41 to stun the field and get his campaign off to the perfect start.
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