BREAKING: Pinturault Begins Season With a Win in Soelden
Frenchman Alexis Pinturault kicked off his 2020 winter in the best possible way on Sunday, taking the men’s giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, and showing that he will be the man to beat this year in GS.
After two years of cancellations on the men’s side due to bad weather, Pinturault managed to take back-to-back wins in Soelden, albeit three years apart as he also won the last men’s race on the Rettenbach Glacier back in 2016. Pinturault led after the first run and managed to battle through dark conditions in the second run to extend his lead and take his 24th career World Cup victory over his French teammate, Mathieu Faivre, who finished 0.54 seconds back in second. Slovenia’s Zan Kranjec rounded out the hotly contested podium in third.
The American trio of Tommy Ford, Ted Ligety, and Ryan Cochran-Siegle all had strong starts to their seasons, finishing just off the podium in fourth, fifth, and 11th place, respectively. Ford’s fourth place is also his career best World Cup finish. Canada’s Erik Read also cracked the top 10 in seventh place.
Stay tuned for full race coverage.
Top 10 Results
- Alexis Pinturault (FRA): 2:14.14
- Mathieu Faivre (FRA): +0.54
- Zan Kranjec (SLO): +0.63
- Tommy Ford (USA): +0.70
- Ted Ligety (USA): +1.09
- Lucas Braathen (NOR): +1.10
- Erik Read (CAN): +1.29
- Luca De Aliprandini (ITA): +1.31
- Gino Caviezel (SUI): +1.36
- Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen (NOR): +1.40
For complete results, click here.
About the Author: Sean Higgins
