SKIING: Kranjec wins giant slalom
Adelboden, 11 January - Skier Žan Kranjec won the giant slalom FIS World Cup Alpine Skiing race in Adelboden, Switzerland, on Saturday. Four giant slaloms into the season, he has taken the lead in the giant slalom rankings. Croatian Filip Zubčić was second and French Victor Muffat-Jeandet took third place.
Kranjska Gora
Slovenian skier Žan Kranjec.
Photo: Stanko Gruden/STA
File photo
He was sixth after the first run and made it to the top following a mistake by Italian Luca di Aliprandini, who was in the lead after the first run.
This was Kranjec's first victory of the season, during which he has not placed lower than place four.
"This win means a lot to me," Kranjec said after the race. "I've always dreamt of winning a world cup race and then I finally made it last season," he said, referring to his first world cup victory.
"I've also dreamt of winning in Adelboden, for me one of the most demanding pistes, and now I've achieved this as well," Kranjec said.
"Right now I'm probably in the best shape of my career. The race today was hard but I know that anything is possible in the second run."
It seems however that Kranjec's victory was a surprise for the organising team, as they did not have a Slovenian flag ready for the award ceremony and had to borrow it from one of the spectators.