Marcel Hirscher wins big again in World Cup giant slalom

Marcel Hirscher dominated yet again in the World Cup on Saturday, winning a giant slalom by a huge 1.18-second margin with a combined time of one minute, 42.99 seconds. 

Kristoffersen has finished second to Hirscher in seven giant slaloms, including at the Pyeongchang Olympics, since last December.

Matts Olsson placed third, trailing by 1.31 on the Face de Bellevarde slope.

Erik Read happy with result

Calgary's Erik Read finished 12th, 2.49 seconds behind the winner and was the only Canadian to qualify for the second run.

Read was 26th after the first run, but his strong second run allowed him to hold the leader position until he was eventually bumped down. 

WATCH | Erik Read finishes 12th in giant slalom:

Canada's Erik Read finishes 12th in men's giant slalom

6 years ago

Duration 1:19

Read sat 26th after his first run, but rode a fantastic 2nd run to jump all the way into 12th at the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup event in Val d'Isere, France

"I knew I was going to battle with the really low cloud conditions and all the snow on the course this weekend. My first run was challenging especially since the snow was a lot softer and aggressive than what we are used to here," said Read.

"I had a tough time really finding my rhythm but in my second run, I pushed out of the gate and just tried to link it all together from top to bottom. I'm really happy with my day."

Hirscher's medal haul continues

Hirscher has now finished on the podium in every giant slalom race since October 2016, including winning world and Olympic titles in that span.

It was his 60th career World Cup win, though he could be awarded another if Stefan Luitz is disqualified from victory in GS at Beaver Creek last Sunday for using an oxygen mask between runs.

WATCH | Marcel Hirscher dominates on way to GS win in France:

Marcel Hirscher dominates on way to giant slalom win in France

6 years ago

Duration 1:43

The Austrian was strong on both of his runs, winning the men's World Cup giant slalom race in Val d'Isere by a 1.18 second margin.

The International Ski Federation is investigating the incident, which appears to break its anti-doping rules even though oxygen inhalation is not prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

Luitz's difficult week continued Saturday when he placed 30th and last of the second-run starters. The German skier had been eighth-fastest in the first run but made a big mistake that took him into rough snow.

Tommy Ford of the United States got a career-best finish of sixth, 1.69 behind Hirscher.

WATCH | Men's giant slalom - 1st run:

FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup: Val d'Isere - Men's giant slalom 1st run

6 years ago

Duration 1:34:02

FIS Men's Alpine Skiing World Cup from Val d'Isere, France