Fabio Gstrein shows strength in the slalom in Alta Badia – fourth place!

Fabio Gstrein shows strength in the slalom in Alta Badia – fourth place!

On December 22, 2025, Fabio Gstrein had to settle for fourth place after the first round of the slalom in Alta Badia. The 28-year-old Frenchman Clement Noel led the field and was 36 hundredths behind Gstrein. The Austrian is the only local athlete among the top ten skiers in the competition.

Gstrein expressed satisfaction with his run and said: “It was easy to drive.” Alongside Gstrein, Michael Matt finished the first round in 11th place, which put him just outside the top ten. Marco Schwarz and Manuel Feller were larger behind and were each over a second behind the leader Noel.

Race course and competition

Clement Noel, who started the race with start number four, showed an impressive performance and set the fastest time, 0.09 seconds ahead of the Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath and 0.26 seconds over the Swiss Loic Meillard. Noel explained that he liked the course and that the snow was good on race day, but he also noted that it was all very tight.

Michael Matt was unable to reduce his gap to the top ten, as it was 0.91 seconds. Marco Schwarz, who won the giant slalom the previous Sunday, struggled 1.23 seconds behind. He reported difficulties in the early gates, but was able to improve the pace in the lower part of the course. Manuel Feller was less lucky, 1.51 seconds behind, and had to start early in the second run.

The two Austrians Johannes Strolz and Dominik Raschner, who were eliminated with a deficit of 2.49 seconds and 1.84 seconds, were unable to compete. The second round will begin at 1:30 p.m. and offers the athletes a new chance to prove themselves.

Austria in alpine skiing

The achievements of Gstrein and his compatriots are part of a long tradition in Austrian alpine skiing. The list of Austrian champions in alpine skiing includes numerous athletes who have won championship titles in various disciplines. These championships have continually evolved since 1947, when they were relaunched after World War II, to incorporate various disciplines such as downhill, slalom, giant slalom and super-G.

Particularly noteworthy are the records of Karl Schranz, who is the most successful Austrian skier with 11 titles between 1958 and 1968, and Annemarie Moser-Pröll, who tops the list with 18 titles in women's sports from 1969 to 1979. These historic successes reflect the strength and importance of alpine skiing in Austria.

How the Austrian athletes will fare in the second round remains to be seen, but their performances so far promise excitement and exciting competition in this year's slalom.