Manuel Feller / Kitzbühel / GEPA pictures
Manuel Feller Finally Breaks Through in Kitzbühel as Austria’s Slalom Drought Ends
For a moment, the crowd on the Ganslern could hardly believe it.
Then the noise took over.
Manuel Feller attacked the second run on Sunday to win the men’s World Cup slalom in Kitzbühel, ending a 21-race Austrian drought in the discipline and delivering the most emotional victories of the emotionally packed Hahnenkamm weekend. It also marked Austria’s first men’s slalom victory in Kitzbühel since 2017, making the moment even more significant on the Ganslern.
Feller’s winning time of 1:40.60 survived the final challengers as disbelief turned into celebration. Kitzbühel finally had its slalom winner again — and it came on home snow, under maximum pressure, with the crowd fully invested in every split.
Top Five — Kitzbühel Men’s Slalom
- 1st — 🇦🇹 Manuel Feller (AUT) | YOB 1992 | 1:40.60 | — | Atomic
- 2nd — 🇨🇭 Loïc Meillard (SUI) | YOB 1996 | +0.35 |
- 3rd — 🇩🇪 Linus Strasser (GER) | YOB 1992 | +0.53 | HEAD
- 4th — 🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA) | YOB 2000 | +0.57 | Atomic, Oakley
- 5th — 🇫🇮 Eduard Hallberg (FIN) | YOB 2003 | +0.58 |
Feller’s Victory Comes After His Hardest Season
Nothing about this win came easily.
Feller arrived in Kitzbühel after what he openly described as the toughest season of his career, following a difficult previous winter and months of searching for form in the most competitive discipline in Alpine skiing.
“I can’t describe how much this means to me,” Feller said. “It was probably my toughest season — probably one of the toughest parts of my life. Fighting and fighting and keep on fighting was worth it all.”
Emotion was visible in the finish area as the magnitude of the moment settled in.
“This year I was close to quitting a few times,” Feller said. “I just had no energy anymore for a few races. But all my life, quitting was no option. So I kept on going. I kept on going — and it was worth it all.”
The victory made Feller the sixth different men’s slalom winner this season, underscoring just how open and unforgiving the discipline has become.
Where the Race Was Won — and Lost
Feller did not win this race at the top of the course. He won it where courage matters most.
After giving up time early in the second run, the Austrian found decisive speed on the lower sectors of the Ganslern, carrying momentum through the difficult terrain where others bled time. The crowd responded instantly, sensing the shift before the clock confirmed it.
First-run leader Loïc Meillard entered the second run with a 0.46-second advantage over Feller and extended slightly in the opening sector. But he lost time through the middle of the course and crossed the line 0.35 seconds back, posting only the 17th-fastest second run and showing clear disappointment despite finishing second.
Meillard and Strasser React
Second place still represented a breakthrough result for Meillard, who reached the World Cup slalom podium in Kitzbühel for the first time in his career. “Of course I skied for victory and I tried to get it, but Manu was better than me today,” Meillard said. “It was a good step in the right direction and in the end for me it’s a first podium in Kitzbühel, so I can be happy with that.”
Third place went to Linus Strasser, the 2024 Kitzbühel slalom winner and long-time member of the Kitzbühel Ski Club, who once again thrived under pressure on a slope he knows as well as anyone.
For Strasser, the podium marked his first World Cup top-three finish in nearly two years. “In the training runs it was already very good skiing, consistent skiing. In the races it always felt a bit bad,” Strasser said. “But I knew what the problem was; I didn’t have the balls to go in that last click to search for the speed or the limit.”
Strasser said committing fully in the second run made the difference. “That was the main goal for the second run, to go over that step,” he said. “It’s so nice when everything works out. This race is just the cherry on the top. The way to this race today, the month before, I’ve worked really hard. That’s what makes me very proud.”
Men’s World Cup Slalom — Season Standings (After Kitzbühel, 8 of 11)
- 1st — 🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA) — YOB 2000 — 401 pts — Atomic, Oakley
- 2nd — 🇫🇷 Clément Noël (FRA) — YOB 1997 — –26 — Dynastar
- 3rd — 🇳🇴 Atle Lie McGrath (NOR) — YOB 2000 — –29 — HEAD
- 4th — 🇳🇴 Timon Haugan (NOR) — YOB 1996 — –42 — Van Deer
- 5th — 🇫🇷 Paco Rassat (FRA) — YOB 1998 — –43 — HEAD
Biggest Second-Run Mover: Fabio Gstrein
🇦🇹 Fabio Gstrein delivered one of the standout performances of the day.
Starting 22nd after the first run, Gstrein rocketed up the leaderboard with the fastest second run, climbing 11 positions and holding the leader’s chair through nine skiers. His charge ignited the crowd and set the stage for the dramatic final showdown.
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KITZBÜHEL, AUSTRIA,25.JAN.26 – Benjamin Ritchie (USA). Photo: GEPA pictures/ Mathias Mandl🇺🇸 USA — Ritchie Breaks Through
- 15th — 🇺🇸 Ben Ritchie (USA) | YOB 2000 | +1.64 | HEAD
For Ben Ritchie, Kitzbühel delivered long-awaited relief. The American scored his first World Cup points of the season after a winter defined by frustration and DNFs.
“It’s nice to finish,” Ritchie said. “It’s been a pretty horrible season so far. I’ve been skiing well and training well, but every DNF compounds a little bit. To put down a solid result at such a legendary race feels really good.”
With two slaloms remaining, his approach is simple.
“Send hard,” Ritchie said.
KITZBUEHEL,AUSTRIA,25.JAN.26 – Hahnenkamm-race – Dave Ryding (GBR). Photo: GEPA pictures/ Mathias Mandl🇬🇧 Great Britain — Respect for Ryding on the Ganslern
- 20th — 🇬🇧 Dave Ryding (GBR) | YOB 1986 | +2.07 | HEAD
- 24th — 🇬🇧 Billy Major (GBR) | YOB 1996 | +2.80 | HEAD
In his final World Cup appearance in Kitzbühel, Dave Ryding was met with a roar built on respect. The 2022 Kitzbühel winner and 2023 runner-up will retire at season’s end, leaving a permanent mark on Hahnenkamm history.
Belief Rewarded on the Ganslern
As the crowd slowly settled, Feller tried to look ahead.
“I’ll just focus on my skiing and continue believing,” he said. “If it’s not working out, it’s not working out. It’s only skiing — but right now, skiing feels pretty good.”
On a hill that exposes hesitation instantly, belief finally paid off.
And in Kitzbühel, that made all the difference.
Race Results
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Race Analysis: Podium Contenders and Top 30 North American and British Skiers
