Austrian Raphael Haaser surprised: gold in the giant slalom!

In a gripping race at the Alpine World Ski Championship in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, the Austrian Raphael Haaser sensationally won the gold medal in the giant slalom on February 14, 2025. The only 27-year-old Haaser, previously injured and started as an outsider this year, showed an impressive performance and broke through the Swiss dominance, which up to this point was able to win three gold medals in the men's races. "Incredible, I don't know what to say," said Haaser after his triumphant victory in front of the enthusiastic domestic audience, as well as the Sportschau reported.

The weather played perfectly: After a snowy morning it cleared up for the decision, and the spectators experienced an exciting race on the "snow crystal" route. While Haaser drove to first place with the best time of competition, defending champion Marco Odermatt from Switzerland gambled away medial expectations and landed far behind the medal ranks after an error on the way to his best time. Menich and Tumler still secured the Swiss with silver and bronze, but Haaser remained the radiant winner, who gave his nation an urgently needed sense of achievement.

a top -class race

The other participants in the elite also include the German Anton Grammel, who took 12th place with a strong second run, as well as the other German drivers Jonas Stockinger and Fabian Gratz, who perceived their outsider opportunities there. Grammel was relieved by his performance and wants to take the positive momentum into the next competitions. The last German giant slalom world championship title was 40 years ago and Grammel's performance could be the starting signal for a return to the top, as Krone