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Alta Badia (South Tyrolean Dolomites/Italy) - Henrik Kristoffersen roars again on the Gran Risa. Two years after his first success on the slope set in the heart of the Dolomites UNESCO World Heritage Site, the elusive Norwegian is once again there in front of everyone, triumphing in a comeback in the first of the two giant slaloms scheduled in this spectacular two-day Ski World Cup event in Alta Badia.

Seventh after the first run, the 27-year-old Scandinavian produced a second downhill with heart and grit, igniting the audience in the stands, whereas last year the show was held behind closed doors due to the pandemic. And it was precisely to those who pushed him towards the finish line that he addressed his words in perfect Italian: “Grazie a tutti, ragazzi“ (eng. Thank you all, guys). This was Kristoffersen's fifth podium in Alta Badia, four of which were in the giant slalom (two victories and two second places) and one in the parallel slalom (second place).

Marco Odermatt, who has dominated the men's Ski World Cup so far, had to be content with a place of honour. However, the 24-year-old Swiss can smile because, thanks to the points collected today, he remains firmly at the top of the specialty ranking (280 points ahead of Kristoffersen's 163) as well as the overall ranking (533 compared to Austrian Matthias Mayer's 405, the closest pursuer). The podium was completed by Austrian Manuel Feller who, like Odermatt, confirmed his position after the first run, while Mathieu Faivre, who was in the lead after the first half of the race, slipped to sixteenth place overall.

An Italian flash arrived thanks to an excellent Luca De Aliprandini: fifth place. The 31-year-old from Trentino confirmed his position at the top of the ranking after his fourth-place last week in Val d'Isère and in less than twenty-four hours he will try to reach the podium that he has never climbed in the World Cup, but only last February at the World Championships in Cortina, when he was second. "Surely it was a beautiful race and I must say that the first three seasonal giant slaloms went very well because I was very constant, which is what we wanted with the coaches and on which we have worked - said De Aliprandini - Of course, being always there close, the regret increases a bit more, but it can't be better than this. Tomorrow there is another race and we all start from scratch, with the aim of having fun and giving our best, then we will see how it will go".

Tomorrow, Monday 20th December, the race will be repeated with the first manche starting at 10.00 a.m., while the second one is scheduled at 1.30 p.m. The race will be broadcasted on TV all over the world.

Official results: https://medias3.fis-ski.com/pdf/2022/AL/0043/2022AL0043RLR2.pdf