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Marco Schwarz has indeed returned to the alpine skiing winner's circle less than six weeks before the Cortina Winter Olympics in Milan.
Until last week, the Austrian all-rounder had not won a World Cup race for two years due to a knee injury.
On Saturday he won his second race in seven days in the super-G in Livigno, Italy, his eighth career triumph and first in a speed race. He also won the giant slalom last Sunday at another Italian resort, Alta Badia.
Schwarz beat the Swiss trio of Alexis Monny, Franjo von Allmen and Marco Odermatt respectively, who finished two to three tenths behind the Austrian.
The Austrian skier claimed his second World Cup victory in a week, his eighth career victory and his first in a speed race.
Schwartz was not one of the fastest starters, but stayed clean on a slope that was new for the World Championships.
Livigno was a one-time replacement for the classic resort of Bormio, which will host the men's alpine skiing event at the Olympics in February.
Livigno will host the Olympic snowboarding and freestyle skiing competitions, but the resort near the Swiss border has not previously hosted top-level alpine skiing.
Overall World Cup leader Odermatt still extended his lead in the super-G standings as his closest pre-race rivals, Austrians Vincent Kriechmayr and Rafael Haaser, both failed to finish.
Watch the men's super-G compete at the FIS World Cup in Livigno, Italy.
Two years ago, Schwartz and Odermatt had an intriguing battle in the overall standings. The Austrian was in the lead when he injured his knee in a downhill accident and was forced to end the season at the end of December 2023 as Odermatt again won the big crystal globe.
The Livigno “Li Zeta” track, with a start at an altitude of 2375 meters and a maximum gradient of 47 percent, contained two jumps that caused a lot of problems for the riders.
At the first halfway point, the skiers landed on uneven ground but needed to immediately regain their balance for a sharp right turn. It was here that Odermatt lost significant time to Schwartz.
A second jump shortly before the finish cost Kriechmayr a potential victory. The Austrian set the fastest split time but landed too far to the right and then lost his balance while trying to get back onto the track and went off the track.
In addition, Frenchman Mathieu Baylet could have finished on the podium when he skied out after the final jump.
Cameron Alexander of North Vancouver, British Columbia, finished 16th and was the top Canadian with a time of 1:11:10.
Cameron Alexander of North Vancouver, British Columbia, finished 16th with a time of 1:11.10. Alexander was ahead of his compatriots in the men's super-G race at the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Livigno, Italy.
Czech rider Jan Zabistran, the surprise winner of the previous super-G, finished 0.93 clear of the top 20.
Saturday's race was the final speed race before the super-G in Wengen, Switzerland on January 16th. The men's World Cup will remain in Italy, where the night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio will take place on January 7.
