Newcomer Sarrazin wins Alta Badia PGS in stunning style
The always exciting dual format delivered once again under the lights on Monday as the men took on the Gran Risa for a second time in the World Cup parallel giant slalom (PGS) in Alta Badia, Italy. Virtual unknown Cyprien Sarrazin of France won the first World Cup of his young career, besting Swiss star Carlo Janka in the final heat of the evening in the fast-paced, first-to-the-finish format.
The night began with the opening round of 32 competitors skiing head-to-head in a run, re-run format, giving each racer a chance to ski both the red and blue courses. From the Round of 16 onward to the final, it was a one run knockout with one very clear rule: Win, or go home.
With several big names including Marcel Hirscher and Alexis Pinturault failing to advance past the first two rounds, it was literally anybody’s race as fans were treated to an adrenaline-filled evening of racing under the lights.
The small final saw two Attacking Vikings as Kjetil Jansrud and Leif Kristian Haugen battled it out for the final spot on the podium with Jansrud barely edging out his Norwegian teammate for the win. Jansrud won this event last season, showing he has somewhat of a knack for the new PGS format.
The 22-year-old Sarrazin’s performance for the entire night was nothing short of remarkable as the young Frenchman — who has only started seven World Cup races, mind you — defied the odds heat after heat before taking on Janka in the final. It looked like Sarrazin’s improbable string of luck had finally run out, however, as he lost his right pole while pushing out of the gate. To the shock of everyone watching, Sarrazin managed to hold off Janka and cross the finish just ahead of the Swiss for the win.
“I have never really dreamed about winning a World Cup,” Sarrazin said after the race. “My main goal is to ski as fast as possible and enjoy it. I was just trying my best and going for it. I was so concentrated that I wasn’t even looking at who was next to me”
Janka didn’t even expect to make it to the finals, so any finish on the podium was a bonus for him as he looks to carry this momentum into the rest of the season.
“I didn’t expect that I would be in the finals,” he explained. “I made some steps forward with my start and that was really important today for this competition, and also in the gates, I had a pretty good feeling, and it was fun to do this competition. It’s good that I’m on the podium today and I hope I can go on in the next few races with a little bit more confidence.”
For Jansrud, although he admits that he can’t compare a PGS to a full-on World Cup GS race, he thinks that the newer parallel formats are very fun for fans and provide something different for racers to test their skills head-to-head with their competitors.
“I think parallel is a fun discipline,” Jansrud said. “I’ve skied both parallel slalom and parallel GS and for sure, parallel slalom is way different than normal slalom. Parallel GS is kind of similar to GS, and I think it looks like there’s a little bit more action to it.”
The United States entered two racers with Tommy Ford and Ryan Cochran-Siegle taking on the field. Unfortunately, neither racer moved on past the first round.
The men now head to Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, for a slalom on Dec 22.
Fans can stay up to date on World Cup by downloading the U.S. Ski Team – Ski Racing app for iOS and Android.
Top 10
- Cyprien Sarrazin (FRA) – Fischer/Fischer/Fischer
- Carlo Janka (SUI) – Rossignol/Rossignol/Look
- Kjetil Jansrud (NOR) – Head/Head/Head
- Leif Kristian Haugen (NOR) – Rossignol/Rossignol/Look
- Andre Myhrer (SWE) – Head/Head/Head
- Stefan Luitz (GER) – Rossignol/Rossignol/Look
- Gino Caviezel (SUI) – Head/Head/Head
- Mathieu Faivre (FRA) – Head/Head/Head
- Alexis Pinturault (FRA) – Head/Head/Head
- Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) – Rossignol/Rossignol/Look
Official Results
Rank | Bib | FIS Code | Name | Year | Nation | Total Time | Diff. | FIS Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 23 | 194873 | SARRAZIN Cyprien | 1994 | FRA | |||
2 | 20 | 511313 | JANKA Carlo | 1986 | SUI | |||
3 | 17 | 421483 | JANSRUD Kjetil | 1985 | NOR | |||
4 | 11 | 421669 | HAUGEN Leif Kristian | 1987 | NOR | |||
5 | 15 | 501017 | MYHRER Andre | 1983 | SWE | |||
6 | 9 | 202437 | LUITZ Stefan | 1992 | GER | |||
7 | 28 | 511852 | CAVIEZEL Gino | 1992 | SUI | |||
8 | 3 | 194495 | FAIVRE Mathieu | 1992 | FRA | |||
9 | 2 | 194364 | PINTURAULT Alexis | 1991 | FRA | |||
10 | 4 | 422304 | KRISTOFFERSEN Henrik | 1994 | NOR | |||
11 | 7 | 51007 | SCHOERGHOFER Philipp | 1983 | AUT | |||
12 | 32 | 192506 | MISSILLIER Steve | 1984 | FRA | |||
13 | 14 | 561244 | KRANJEC Zan | 1992 | SLO | |||
14 | 8 | 292967 | EISATH Florian | 1984 | ITA | |||
15 | 6 | 193967 | MUFFAT-JEANDET Victor | 1989 | FRA | |||
16 | 12 | 54063 | FELLER Manuel | 1992 | AUT | |||
17 | 31 | 501324 | OLSSON Matts | 1988 | SWE | |||
18 | 1 | 53831 | HIRSCHER Marcel | 1989 | AUT | |||
19 | 30 | 422073 | NETELAND Bjoernar | 1991 | NOR | |||
20 | 26 | 6530319 | COCHRAN-SIEGLE Ryan | 1992 | USA | |||
21 | 27 | 292491 | MOELGG Manfred | 1982 | ITA | |||
22 | 13 | 990116 | DE ALIPRANDINI Luca | 1990 | ITA | |||
23 | 5 | 201702 | NEUREUTHER Felix | 1984 | GER | |||
24 | 25 | 51159 | NOESIG Christoph | 1985 | AUT | |||
25 | 21 | 531799 | FORD Tommy | 1989 | USA | |||
26 | 16 | 294890 | NANI Roberto | 1988 | ITA | |||
27 | 22 | 54031 | LEITINGER Roland | 1991 | AUT | |||
28 | 19 | 422139 | KILDE Aleksander Aamodt | 1992 | NOR | |||
29 | 10 | 511896 | MURISIER Justin | 1992 | SUI | |||
30 | 18 | 291459 | PARIS Dominik | 1989 | ITA | |||
31 | 29 | 512269 | ODERMATT Marco | 1997 | SUI | |||
32 | 24 | 380335 | ZUBCIC Filip | 1993 | CRO |