'Just amazing': Zenhaeusern wins world championships tune-up in Chamonix

Switzerland's Ramon Zenhaeusern is all the way back, and with the world championships around the corner, his timing couldn't be better.

Zenhaeusern capped his recent resurgence by winning the Chamonix slalom on Saturday for his first World Cup victory in over two years as some of the big favourites stumbled in the dress rehearsal for the biggest race of the season.

The 2.02m gentle giant used his long levers to master a tricky second-run course and steal the headlines from Greece's AJ Ginnis, who reached his first World Cup podium by finishing second with a bib number of 45.

"It's just amazing," Zenhaeusern said. "And it's even nicer because I had a difficult last season with many injuries — shoulder problem, back problems."

"I fight back step by step from position 25 at the beginning of the season," added the 30-year-old, who has been building towards top form throughout the season, including finishing second in the last slalom in Schladming.

"Step by step, and now I'm at the top and it's so beautiful to win a World Cup race here."

The absence of Norway's World Cup slalom leader Lucas Braathen, who had his appendix removed during the week, and second-run straddles by Braathen's teammate Henrik Kristoffersen and France's Clement Noel left the race wide open.

Zenhaeusern took full advantage, powering through the course to win by over a second ahead of Ginnis, who was 23rd after the first run but used the fastest second run of the field to take the early lead and hold it while the next 20 skiers failed to dislodge him.

"Absolutely unbelievable," said Ginnis, a Greek-American skier who has had six knee surgeries and whose previous best World Cup result was 11th in a slalom in Flachau more than two years ago.

"I'm 28 years old, I've had to claw my ass back here so many times and for it to finally go off, just wow. I don't think it's hit me yet. It might take a couple hours, a couple days maybe, to realise what just happened."

As the skiers after Ginnis couldn't overtake him, he secured his first World Cup top 10 finish before his podium was confirmed when Switzerland's Daniel Yule, skiing third last, just missed taking the lead.

"The longer I sat there, it really didn't register until Daniel came down four hundredths behind me and then I realised. I was like, 'Oh my God, this is special'," Ginnis said.

His fairytale podium finish resonated even among his rivals.

"I'm so happy for AJ Ginnis," said Norway's Atle Lie McGrath, who finished fourth. "That's truly incredible. He's worked so hard, he's had so many injuries. To be here now for him, that's just amazing."

Seeking his third win in Chamonix, home favourite Noel led after the first run but couldn't repeat his victory from Schladming last week, stumbling in the mid-section of the course to throw away his chances and allow a grateful Yule to sneak onto the podium in third.

"Chamonix is maybe not my favourite slope, it's a bit flat for me, but to finally get a podium here, it feels really good," said Yule, whose previous best finish in Chamonix was 15th.

Yule and teammate Zenhaeusern have put themselves in medal contention for the world championships slalom race on 19 February, but the latter isn't getting ahead of himself as he first looks to celebrate his long-awaited win.

"The world championships begin from zero so I enjoy now the moment and the world champs is in two weeks so it's far away for the moment," Zenhaeusern said.