Swiss veteran Thomas Tumler captured his first ever World Cup victory on Sunday when he gained the large slalom at Beaver Creek, edging Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen by 0.12sec over two runs.
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The 35-year-old, who made his World Cup debut in 2012, soared down the Birds of Prey course in a two-run whole time of two:27.60 to defeat the Norwegian-born Brazilian’s 2:27.72 whole, with Slovenian Zan Kranjec third in a mixed time of two:28.18.
In his 124th World Cup begin, Tumler took his long-awaited step to the highest of the rostrum.
“I don’t have the words,” Tumler stated. “When I saw that Beaver Creek was on the calendar in a big way I was super happy.
“It is going to take me time to understand it,” he stated of the achievement.
Tumler, who was quickest within the opening run in 1:16.24, had the seventh-best second run in 1:11.36 in comparison with Braathen, who was 0.95sec higher with the quickest time within the second run.
The 35-year-old Swiss took his first World Cup podium at Beaver Creek in 2018 when he was third in an enormous slalom on the Colorado course.
His different World Cup podium placings had been a runner-up effort in Parallel-G at Chamonix, France in 2020 and a 3rd place within the large slalom in Saalbach, Austria final March.
Braathen, the 24-year-old son of a Norwegian father and Brazilian mom, had 5 wins in 5 World Cup seasons earlier than retiring in October 2023.
He introduced his return final March however competing for Brazil not Norway, so his podium end was the primary from Brazil in Alpine Ski World Cup historical past.
Whereas Braathen settled for second place, his 80 World Cup factors pushed him into the lead within the large slalom season title chase, 130-129 forward of Norway’s Alexander Steen Olsen and 5 forward of Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen, who completed fifth.
Tumler jumped to fourth on 118.
Kranjec, 32, took a silver medal in large slalom on the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
Reigning World Cup champion Marco Odermatt the Swiss star who gained a 3rd straight World Cup general title plus downhill, super-G and large slalom titles final season was eighth after the primary run, 1.26 seconds adrift, however fell on the second run.
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