PyeongChang 2018 men's giant slalom preview
Aug 31, 2018·Alpine Skiing
PYEONGCHANG – Marcel Hirscher (AUT) will look to win his second Olympic Winter gold medal when he competes in the men's giant slalom on Sunday 18 February at Yongpyong Alpine Centre. Check your local listings for broadcast date and times in your home country.
HIRSCHER won the men's alpine combined on Tuesday, his first gold medal at any Winter Games.
HIRSCHER can become the 10th male alpine skier to win multiple gold medals at a single Winter Games and the first since Benjamin RAICH (AUT) in 2006.
He can join Toni SAILER (AUT, three), RAICH (two), Hermann MAIER (AUT, two) and Matthias MAYER (AUT, two) as the only Austrian men with multiple alpine skiing gold medals at the Winter Games.
HIRSCHER won the men's giant slalom world title in 2017 and can become the third current world champion in a row to claim the Olympic gold medal in this event, after Carlo JANKA (SUI) in 2010 and Ted LIGETY (USA) in 2014.
Austrian skiers have won a joint-record four gold medals (alongside Switzerland) and a record 18 total medals in this event at the Olympic Winter Games, but failed to reach the podium in 2010 and 2014. Austria has never failed to claim a medal in the men's giant slalom at three successive Winter Games.
LIGETY could claim a record sixth medal in the giant slalom at the World Championships and Olympic Winter Games combined.
LIGETY has claimed one Olympic gold medal in this event (2014), three World Championships gold medals (2011, 2013 and 2015) and one World Championships bronze medal (2009) in this event.
The only other alpine skiier who has claimed five giant slalom medals at the Winter Games and World Championships combined is Tina MAZE (SLO).
LIGETY's four giant slalom triumphs at World Championships and Olympic Winter Games combined are a joint-record among men and women, alongside Deborah COMPAGNONI (ITA).
LIGETY can each become the second man to win the men's giant slalom twice at the Olympic Winter Games, after Alberto TOMBA (ITA) who won it in 1988 and 1992.
LIGETY won this event in Sochi in 2014.
At 33 years and 171 days, LIGETY can become the oldest Olympic medallist in the men's giant slalom, breaking the record by Hermann MAIER who took bronze in 2006, aged 33 and 75 days.
Alexis PINTURAULT (FRA) bagged bronze in this event at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games.
PINTURAULT could join Franck PICCARD (FRA, two in downhill) and Guy PERILLAT (FRA, two in downhill) as the only Frenchmen with multiple Olympic medals in a single men's alpine skiing event.
Only two Frenchmen have won the men's giant slalom at the Olympic Winter Games: Francois BONLIEU in 1964 and Jean-Claude KILLY in 1968.
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