Austria's "golden boy" is golden once more. Marco Schwarz (AUS) claimed victory in the giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy with a time of 2:35.02. It's the Austrian's first World Cup victory in 1,032 days, his last coming in a 2023 slalom in Madonna di Campiglio, Italy.

"It was a tough fight," Schwarz said after his race. "There were two gates was a little bit bumpy, but the rest was really good. I tried to focus on my instinct, and I tried to let the skis run."

Schwarz steadily has been regaining his form after a season-ending right knee injury in December 2023 left him sidelined from a majority of competition over the past two seasons. During his first World Cup race of the 2025-26 season, Schwarz finished second in the giant slalom in Soelden, Austria, his first World Cup podium since his victory in 2023. He has struggled to retain that success in the weeks since, only placing inside the top 10 twice in the 10 succeeding competitions. 

Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen finished hot on Schwarz's heels just 0.18 seconds behind him, a stunning comeback for the Brazilian after a heartbreaking run at Val d'Isere ended with an incomplete race. German Fabian Gratz (+0.48) held the lead after a strong second run saw him climb up from 28th until Pinheiro Braathen took the course for the second time. Austrian Stefan Brennsteiner (+0.22) rounded out the podium, edging out Atle Lie McGrath (NOR).

It appears as though Marco Odermatt (SUI) is mortal after all. After an exhausting past few days where the "Swissblade" won his 50th World Cup victory and claimed silver twice, Odermatt finished sixth in the final standings. A rough go at the first run saw him outside the top 10 with a run 1.51 seconds behind Schwarz. A chance at redemption in the second run was at the tip of Odermatt's fingers until an uncharacteristic mistake five gates from the finish caused the Olympic champion to stumble out of contention. 

It was a tough finish for Odermatt, who has won five of the past six giant slaloms on the Gran Risa course. Pinheiro Braathen is the only other skier to nab a win over Odermatt since his dominance on the course began in 2021. Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) toppled out of the top 10 after a few too many small errors on both runs added extra time to his final total. 

American River Radamus (+0.87) had a stellar race after a brave first run placed him second behind Schwarz. However, an unfortunate touch down on the snow with his hip early into his second run inhibited his one-second lead over the rest of the field, leaving him to play catchup the rest of the way down with a seventh-place finish. Compatriot Bridger Gile (USA), the only other American to place in the top 30 after the first run, did not finish after he lost a ski halfway through his second run. 

"Second run was a lot more difficult," Radamus said post-race. "We were sitting there at the top, watching a lot of guys go down, so we knew it was going to be challenging. We knew that you have to give something special to be able to stay up there with the top guys. I made too many mistakes in the second run, but I liked the effort and the attitude I had. I was racing to win. I wasn't racing to finish."

The race marked another significant event in the sport as well, as the first Russian skier nearly in four years took to the slopes in a men's World Cup event. In November, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned a ban imposed by the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) on all Russian skiers and snowboarders days after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now allowing Russian skiers and snowboarders to apply as neutral athletes to participate in qualification events leading up to the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics.

FIS approved Aleksander Adrienko for neutral status. Wearing the No. 39 start bib, Adrienko finished 52nd in the first run of the race with a time over one second outside the top-30 skiers, marking him ineligible to compete in the second run. 

Men’s Alpine skiing will finish in Alta Badia with the slalom race on Monday, December 22 with the first run starting at 4 a.m. ET.