(Reuters) – Switzerland’s Loic Meillard won the men’s World Cup giant slalom under lights in Schladming on Wednesday, with fellow countryman Gino Caviezel second fastest down the foggy slopes in the Austrian Alps.
Meillard finished 0.59 of a second faster than Caviezel, while Marco Schwarz from Austria came third, 0.81 of a second after Meillard.
“It was pretty good. It was difficult to get in a rhythm with yesterday and the late finish. I felt good, I like the snow, and I like that slope. So, it was cool,” said Meillard.
The win marked the second time Meillard won a World Cup race and his first triumph in giant slalom.
Switzerland’s reigning World Cup champion and current overall leader Marco Odermatt did not start having injured his left knee on Friday. His biggest rival this season Aleksander Aamodt Kilde came eighth, narrowing the gap at the top.
Kilde is now 193 points behind Odermatt.
(Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Toby Davis)
