Kristoffersen caps winning weekend taking World Cup men's slalom in comeback fashion
Widens lead in discipline standings to 77 points; 2 Canadians didn't advance to 2nd run
Henrik Kristoffersen came from behind to win a men's World Cup slalom on Sunday for his second victory in two days in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia.
The 2023 world champion from Norway stood sixth with 0.62 seconds to make up after the opening run, but his ninth-fastest time in the final run on a weakening course in the afternoon sunshine was enough for the victory in a combined time of one minute 39.26 seconds.
Kristoffersen, who also won Saturday's giant slalom, led Timon Haugan by 0.17 (1:39.43) for a Norwegian 1-2 finish.
"It was a good second run. I think I still messed up the top and the second part a little bit," Kristoffersen said. "Very tight today, so I'm lucky to be on the right side of the hundredths."
It was the first time Kristoffersen won a GS and a slalom race in the same weekend.
"This was a big goal for me, so very happy with today," he said.
WATCH | Kristoffersen takes slalom by 0.17 seconds over teammate Haugan:
Manuel Feller, the defending World Cup slalom champion, had the same time as Kristoffersen in the opening run and finished 0.23 behind in third (1:39.49).
World champion Loic Meillard posted the fastest opening-run time but dropped to fourth, 1-100ths of a second behind Feller.
Tough day for Canadians
Meillard racked up four podium results in slalom this season. His sole career World Cup victory in the discipline came a year ago in Aspen, Colo.
Jesse Kertesz-Knight of Jasper, Alta., was the lone Canadian to finish the opening run, placing last of 43 finishers. Calgary's Erik Read was among 25 athletes to not finish the first run.
Victor Muffat-Jeandet, who wore bib 38 and qualified in 26th, had a blistering run as an early starter in the second leg and the Frenchman finished in sixth, four spots ahead of his teammate Clement Noel, who is the Olympic champion.
WATCH | Full replay coverage of 2nd slalom run in Kranjska Gora:
Noel won four races this season but trails leader Kristoffersen by 77 points in the discipline standings.
Kristoffersen is second in the overall standings, but still faces a big gap of 360 points to three-time defending champion Marco Odermatt. The Swiss star does not compete in slaloms.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen straddled a gate and didn't finish his first run, a day after he placed second in the GS to came close to giving Brazil its first World Cup victory in skiing.
The men's World Cup travels to Norway for two downhills and a super-G in Kvitfjell next week.
WATCH | Kristofferson wins Saturday GS, his 1st of the season:
With files from CBC Sports
