10 FEB 2001 > Men's Slalom
Home Victory for Mario Matt
Slalom Results

Mario Matt achieved the dream of all world class athletes - to clinch a gold medal in front of his home crowd.

The 21-year-old Austrian from Fliersch, a small village near St. Anton, finished 45/100 of a second ahead of his teammate Benjamin Raich. In January, Raich remained unbeaten in the three main slalom "Classics" (Les Arcs, Wengen and Schladming), and he was the leader after the first run. But Matt, who had not won a race since December, found his winning rhythm in Saturday's World Championship slalom.

Slovenia's Mitja Kunc was 3rd thanks to a great second run. His bronze is the first medal for the young Slovenian men's team in a World Championships. In 1996, Urska Hrovat won bronze in the women's slalom at the Sierra Nevada Worlds. Slovenia was founded in 1992 after Yugoslavia split into several smaller republics.

"I made mistakes in both runs, but I never stopped attacking...."

Second after the morning run, only 4/100 of a second behind Raich, Matt made a huge effort, taking all risks in the afternoon run. He was luckier than he has been in past weeks. Several times this winter, Matt has been on his way to victory but was never able to see it through to the end. He skied off the course in Sestriere, then also at Kitzbühel and Schladming, where he was the winner last season. But at these World Championships, he saw it through. He gave it his best in front of a huge crowd of 50,000 people, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Austrian President Thomas Klestil.

"I gave everything I could to get this title, which I felt able to grab today," Matt said. "After getting the silver medal in combined, I was confident before this race. I made mistakes in both runs, but I never stopped attacking. To win the title in front of such a great public is incredible and wonderful."

Matt is the first Austrian World Champion in slalom since the victory of Rudi Nierlich at Vail in 1989. Nierlich also won the World Cup giant slalom title that year and again in 1991, before he was tragically killed in a car crash during the summer.

Though last winter was his first season on the World Cup tour, Matt is considered one of the most formidable talents in slalom — along with his Tyrolian colleague, Raich.

Raich, who is a good friend of Matt's, was not too upset by his loss. Two years ago, he left Vail without a single medal. "I have been competing for years against Mario in the kid's and then in the junior races, so I know that he fights till the end," he said. "I felt fine before the second run, but I made a small mistake mid-course. That's okay; I still have a strong chance to win the slalom World Cup title at Are."

Kunc was delighted by his bronze medal — his greatest success since his victory at Yong Pyong, Korea, last year. "Our entire team is very strong in slalom, and I was the lucky one today," he explained. "This medal means a lot to me, the team and my country. Alpine skiing and jumping are big in Slovenia, and I will be well known now. It's fun."

With two medals, Mario Matt was one of the dominating skiers here this week, along with Norway's Kjetil Aamodt. The 1993 Slalom Champion Aamodt only finished 7th after clocking the 4th best time in the morning run, losing the opportunity to clinch the 16th medal of his career.

Also among the top-10 was Japan's Kentora Minagawa. Great Britain's Alain Baxter only reached a disappointing 16th place.

Erik Schlopy was the best US skier in 21st place. His teammate Paul Casey Puckett was 28th.

The ski season isn't over yet - the World Cup tour resumes next weekend when the men travel to Japan and the women meet in Germany.

The World Cup finals take place in Are, Sweden, next month.

— Manuèle Lang, World Cup Correspondent

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