Swiss skier Meillard wins last GS before Olympics and denies Pinheiro Braathen 2nd win for Brazil

SCHLADMING, Austria (AP) — Loic Meillard has won the last men’s World Cup giant slalom before the Olympics, denying Lucas Pinheiro Braathen what would have been his second victory for Brazil.

Pinheiro Braathen narrowly led Meillard after Tuesday's opening run but couldn’t hold on to his advantage after the Swiss skier posted the second-fastest time in the final run.

Last November, Pinheiro Braathen won a slalom in Finland to give Brazil its maiden victory in a top-level ski race.

Meillard won Tuesday's race under the floodlights on the icy Planai course by 0.73 seconds for his second World Cup victory of the season and ninth overall.

“It's always been a slope that I liked. And good memories from the first victory in GS and to win again here is amazing,” said Meillard, who also won the event three years ago.

“I know the form is getting better and better, I would say, in the last few weeks," said the Swiss skier, whose best Olympic result is fifth from the 2022 slalom.

Pinheiro Braathen was fastest in the opening run to prove again he is an Olympic medal contender for Brazil not just in slalom.

Pinheiro Braathen has two GS wins from the time he was competing for Norway but is chasing his first victory in the discipline since his switch to the Brazilian ski federation in 2024.

“I really had the feeling that the victory would be mine today, I had such a good feeling,” said Pinheiro Braathen, who has racked up five podium results in GS — all second places — since his nation switch, including three in the current season.

“But it is OK, I didn’t find the speed in the second run. I’m impressed with Loic.”

Pinheiro Braathen stepped away from the sport in October 2023 following a dispute with the Norwegian ski federation over his personal marketing rights, but returned a year later to represent Brazil, his mother’s native country.

Unheralded Alban Elezi Cannaferina clocked the fastest second-run and the Frenchman improved from eighth position to third, 0.90 behind Meillard, for his first career podium.

Elezi Cannaferina was the 2023 junior world champion and had an 11th place from a GS in Norway last March as his best World Cup result so far.

His stunning final run bumped Olympic GS champion Marco Odermatt off the podium and into fourth, 0.36 behind the Frenchman. Odermatt lost time early in his second run when he struggled for balance and nearly skied out with his right leg in the air, though the Swiss star ultimately managed to stay in the course.

Odermatt remained in the lead of the GS standings with 450 points, 103 clear of Pinheiro Braathen, with two more races scheduled after the Olympics.

A night slalom on the same hill is scheduled for Wednesday.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing