Thomas Tumler has all the cards in his hand. © Social Media

1st round: A magic run causes amazement

The first run on the “Birds of Prey” was an absolute spectacle, with a surprise man setting the fastest time.

08 December 2024

From: do

The World Cup weekend in Beaver Creek concluded on Sunday evening with a giant slalom. Even the toughest and most physically fit skiers were pushed to their limits in the first run on the shady slope in the mountains of Colorado. A fast and rhythmic run and slippery snow conditions challenged the best ski racers in the world right up to the last corner. The Swiss Thomas Tumler caused a big surprise here, setting an outstanding personal best on the challenging slope.

The Swiss, who at 35 is clearly one of the older calibers in the skiing circus, has never won a World Cup race in his career. Tumler will hardly have a better chance than in Beaver Creek, because in the first run he managed an absolutely magical run with the third starting number, which even the nominally best giant slalom skiers could not beat.

Zan Kranjec was the best at keeping up with Tumler. © APA / GABRIELE FACCIOTTI/AGENCE ZOOM

Zan Kranjec (Slovenia) is lurking behind the Swiss rider, 0,56 seconds behind, while Atle Lie McGrath (Norway) in third place has to make up more than a second (+1,01) on the Swiss rider. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (+1,07) also drove a confident run with number 29 and is eyeing the podium from fourth place. Marco Odermatt also had to accept the outstanding performance of his compatriot, he was 1,26 seconds behind the leader.

South Tyroleans lag behind

The two South Tyroleans were lagging behind the competition in North America. Alex Vinatzer (+2,90) was solid at times, but lost a lot of time due to an error on his inside ski (27th place/+2,90). Hannes Zingerle did not make it to the second run, trailing by 3,99 seconds. The best Azzurro after the first run was Filippo Delle Vite (15th place/+2,01).