Hirscher seals record-equalling 13th World Cup win

Marcel Hirscher of Austria, winner of the overall World Cup title, reacts after winning the Men's Giant Slalom event of the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Aare, Sweden, on March 17, 2018. PHOTO | JONATHAN NACKSTRAND |

What you need to know:

  • Last month's Olympic gold medallist in the discipline timed 1min 13.89sec in the season-finale with France's Victor Muffat-Jeandet .50sec adrift and Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen next at .59sec.

ÅRE

Austria's Marcel Hirscher led the pack after the first leg of the giant slalom at Are on Saturday to close in on a record-equalling 13th World Cup win in one season.

Last month's Olympic gold medallist in the discipline timed 1min 13.89sec in the season-finale with France's Victor Muffat-Jeandet .50sec adrift and Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen next at .59sec.

Aggressive at the top of the slope Hirscher lost a bit of time with a mistake at the start of the second section but he had enough in hand for it not to be significant.

The 29-year-old is already assured of his fifth giant slalom crystal globe. He has also secured a record seventh overall world Cup title.

If he goes on to win Saturday's race it will be his 13th success of the season, a total only achieved by Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark (1978-79) and Austrian Hermann Maier (2000-2001).