Loic Meillard leads after the first run in Adelboden. © ANSA / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Quartet battles for victory in Adelboden

The first run of the giant slalom in Adelboden kept its promise. The spectacular slope caused prominent dropouts – but also put two Swiss athletes in a position to win.

12 January 2025

From: cst

Loic Meillard had the best time in the first run in Adelboden. The Swiss was in a class of his own, especially in the upper part of the course, and is in the lead by 1 hundredths of a second ahead of Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR).

In third place is Marco Odermatt, who is considered the big favorite for the home win. However, Odermatt only managed to get the best possible finish on the final slope after already being far behind. It was therefore not enough to get to the top, but Odermatt can still make up 3 hundredths of a second behind at any time. The fourth in the group of contenders for victory is Atle Lie McGrath. The Norwegian is one hundredth of a second behind Odermatt.

Prominent failures

However, the steep and treacherous slope in Adelboden also resulted in some prominent dropouts. Lucas Braathen (BRA) and Stefan Brennsteiner (AUT) will not be taking part in the second run. The young Frenchman Leo Anguenot (who was second in Alta Badia) dropped out at the finish line on his way to a strong time.

Alex Vinatzer (18th) was once again unable to gain confidence. The Selva native rode a mistake-filled run and is more than two seconds behind Meillard.