'A new name on the list': Rast wins Flachau Slalom to go top of the standings

With the next generation of Slalom skiers having an unprecedented opportunity to shine this season, Camille Rast (SUI/Head) is making the most of her chance.

Rast stormed home from 1.5 seconds back after the first run to become the first Swiss winner of the famous Flachau night Slalom on Tuesday, while reclaiming the lead in the race for the discipline Crystal Globe.

The 25-year-old backed up her first World Cup victory in Killington last month with another triumph, finishing ahead of Wendy Holdener (SUI/Head, +0.16s) and Sara Hector (SWE/Head, +0.38s) in an all-Head podium.

Katharina Liensberger (AUT/Rossignol), who skied brilliantly in the first run to lead by 0.75 seconds, had a second run to forget, committing errors all the way down the piste to finish fourth and miss the podium by 0.13 seconds.

The Austrian was the last of seven skiers who took aim at Rast's time with an advantage from the first run, but none of them could seize the moment, and the Swiss rising star ended up as the last woman standing.

It was a deserved victory after a scintillating second run — the second-fastest of the field — but the night didn't start out well for Rast, as she could only manage eighth place in the first run.

Skiing with a clean track as the first skier out of the gate, she struggled to find the rhythm of the piste on the top section and despite not making any major errors, she found herself an eternity behind Liensberger.

"A lot of frustration, I have to say," Rast said of her first run.

There was no such disappointment in the second run, however, as she mastered the tricky rollers of Flachau where her rivals stumbled to secure a come-from-behind victory.

"Just follow my instinct," she said of her approach to the second run.

Along with Croatian sensation Zrinka Ljutic (CRO/Atomic), Rast has stepped up in the absence of injured stars Mikaela Shiffrin (USA/Atomic) and Petra Vlhova (SVK/Rossignol), who had won three each of the last six World Cup Slaloms in Flachau.

"I saw yesterday on Instagram that Mikaela and Petra won the last six races here," Rast said. "I'm really happy today to make a new name on the list."

Not such a new name is her veteran teammate Holdener, who was second after the first run and ultimately held onto that spot as others rose and fell around her.

The 31-year-old began the second run with three-quarters of a second in hand over Rast and held onto most of that through the first half, but errors crept in on the bottom section that cost her the victory.

"I wanted to go for the win, so I missed that," she said. "But it was a hard fight, the slope was rough, so it was a good battle. In the end I'm happy with the second place."

Holdener finished second for the third time this season as her campaign is starting to resemble much of her career: plenty of podiums, but few victories.

The Swiss skier famously reached 30 World Cup Slalom podiums before her first win in November 2022, and after another victory two weeks later, she has been winless ever since, with six podiums to her name.

After returning from an ankle injury that cost her most of last season, however, she is pleased with her progress.

"The comeback was harder than I thought, so for sure I'm happy with the steps I'm making, and I'm on the good way," Holdener said.

Her run pushed Hector down into third, and the veteran Swede held onto that podium spot when Liensberger faltered.

"I really like the atmosphere and the whole race, I really like the slope also," said Hector, who was delighted with her second Flachau podium in a row even as she still chases her first Slalom win.

"That would be crazy if it ever happens," she said. "I was close to giving up Slalom a few times and I'm so happy that I didn't."

One skier who is giving up Slalom, however, is two-time Olympic Alpine combined champion Michelle Gisin (SUI/Salomon), who came 23rd in what she said was her last race on the short skis as she focuses on other disciplines.

The 31-year-old finishes her World Cup Slalom career with 103 starts, nine podiums and one victory — her only individual World Cup win, which came in Semmering in December 2020.

But while Gisin's Slalom career has come to an end, Rast's is just getting going.

With two wins and top-five finishes in all six races this season, plus a 60-point lead in the Slalom standings with four races to go, she is firming as favourite for a Crystal Globe that no one would have predicted just a couple of months ago.

"Not bad," she said of her night's work.