In any case, Feller could be satisfied with his fourth place in Chamonix. “Now fourth, generally a fifth place as the worst result,” said the 31-year-old, referring to his consistency, which has always seen him in the top five in a slalom this year. In addition to three victories this season in Gurgl, Adelboden and Wengen, there have been two fourth and two fifth places. “That’s something to be proud of,” said Feller.
The lead of Austria’s current clear number one over the German Straßer is 164 points. He had recently shown up and caught up with his victories in Kitzbühel and Schladming, but on the relatively flat slope in the shadow of Mont Blanc, Straßer struggled with the line on Sunday and only finished 14th. The Swiss winner Yule is already 205 points behind in third place in the intermediate ranking on Feller.
GEPA/Mathias Mandl Feller (Wed.) laughed three times from the top step of the podium, he was never worse than fifth
Travel hardships up to the ball
However, the runner-up in the 2022 overall slalom rankings doesn’t want to worry about numbers games. “I don’t really look at that. It sounds nice and is a bit calming. But I look from race to race, from run to run. Every race is a challenge,” said Feller after the race in Chamonix.
Five slalom stations still separate the Tyrolean from the longed-for little crystal ball. On the way there, however, a few travel miles are collected again. The route continues to the World Cup finals in Saalbach-Hinterglemm via Bulgaria, California, Colorado and Slovenia. The Fieberbrunner’s goal: “When I’m in shape, I want to show all over the world how well I can ski.”
ORF-Analyse des Slaloms von Chamonix
ORF presenter Alina Zellhofer, together with expert Joachim Puchner, takes a closer look at the Chamonix slalom, which ultimately made history.
Looking forward to Bansko
The 31-year-old, who has also been a convincing showman in the past, was also happy about the support of the audience in France. “When I hear: Go Felli, go Felli – it’s nice when people appreciate your performance and your appearance,” said Feller, who is already looking forward to the fans in Bulgaria. The next stop awaits in Bansko with giant slalom (Saturday 9.25 a.m. and 12.10 p.m. live on ORF1) and slalom (Sunday 9.25 a.m. or 12.10 p.m. live on ORF1). For the resort in the Pirin Mountains, it is the comeback in the alpine men’s calendar.
Yule pulls off a sensational coup
Daniel Yule secured a historic victory in the slalom on Sunday. The 30-year-old Swiss became the first runner in World Cup history to catapult himself from 30th place to victory in Chamonix after the first round.
“I will try to do my best there too. So that people know why I’m wearing the red jersey,” said Feller. Before that we go home to recuperate. The Tyrolean, who had a cold after Schladming, said he wasn’t quite fit yet. He’s heading across the pond to Bansko. Two weeks after Bansko, the next technical double awaits in Palisades Tahoe (California), followed by two giant slaloms and a slalom in Aspen (Colorado).
The races in Kranjska Gora take place on March 9th and 10th, before the finale in Saalbach-Hinterglemm with the World Cup dress rehearsal for the 2025 title fights from March 16th to 24th. In Salzburg, Feller finally wants to follow in the footsteps of the currently injured Marco Schwarz, who was the last ÖSV runner to lift the slalom ball in 2021.
