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At the age of 34 and in his 81st World Cup in 14 seasons, Stefan Brensteiner finally took his first victory on Friday.
Brensteiner took full advantage of Olympic champion Marco Odermatt skiing in the first run of the giant slalom at Copper Mountain, Colorado, and won by a large margin of 0.95 seconds.
“It means a lot to me,” said Austrian Brensteiner. “The last few years have been good, but there have been some difficult times in my career.”
Norwegian veteran Henrik Kristoffersen was second despite appearing to have trouble breathing at the finish altitude of around 3,000 meters (9,850 feet) in Colorado.
Filip Zubcic was third, one second behind the winner, and moved up from 13th with a quick second run.
Odermatt, winner of 27 World Cup giant slalom events over the past five years, failed to complete a race in the discipline for the first time since last December in nearby Beaver Creek.
Stefan Brensteiner won the men's giant slalom race for his first career World Cup victory at the FIS alpine skiing competition in Copper Mountain, Colorado.
The Swiss star dropped out despite going on to set the fastest time of the first run on a cold, clear day in Colorado when he lost control of his inside ski near the right gate.
Odermatt's rare misfire came a day after he won the super-G and completed back-to-back wins this season. He is bidding for a fifth consecutive overall World Cup title.
Brensteiner has finished on the podium four times in a row at the World Championships, all in giant slalom, including one second place in March 2022.
Eric Reid was the only Canadian competing and finished 27th with a total time of 2:34.42.
Eric Reed was the only Canadian to compete in the men's giant slalom race at the FIS Mountain World Cup in Copper Mountain, Colorado.
