Austria's Raphael Haaser Claims Giant Slalom Gold at Alpine World Championships

Haaser's victory marks Austria's second gold on home snow, overcoming a strong Swiss team and a challenging Schneekristall course.

Raphael Haaser secured gold in the men's giant slalom at the Alpine Skiing World Championships in Saalbach, Austria, with a commanding second run.
Haaser, who was fifth after the first run, beat Switzerland's Thomas Tumler by 0.23 seconds, with Loic Meillard of Switzerland taking bronze.
This is Haaser's second medal of the championships, having won silver in the super-G last week, and Austria's first men's gold medal of the event.
Pre-race favorite Marco Odermatt of Switzerland, the defending champion and reigning Olympic gold medalist, narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth by seven-hundredths of a second.
Norway's Timon Haugan, who led after the first run, made a costly mistake in his second attempt, dropping to seventh place despite a strong start.