France's Cyprien Sarrazin, in only his seventh World Cup race, beats the favourites to win the Parallel Giant Slalom in Alta Badia.
ADVERTISEMENTFrance’s Cyprien Sarrazin has stunned the sport’s big names by coming from nowhere to win the Parallel Giant Slalom in Alta Badia in Italy.
This was his first-ever win in only his seventh World Cup race, and he had never finished higher than 24th previously.
In the final he burned off Switzerland’s Carlo Janka, the 2010 Olympic giant slalom champion, by ten one-hundredths of a second.
It was all the more remarkable considering Sarrazin had made the run with just one baton, losing the right at the top of the slope.
World champion Kjetil Jansrud had to settle for third place, getting the better of Norway teammate Lief Kristian in the run-off race.
It’s a shootout race format that respects no reputation; five-times World Cup crystal globe winner Marcel Hirscher could only finish 18th.