In front of a roaring hometown crowd on the legendary Ganslernhang, Austria’s Manuel Feller delivered a tear-jerking performance to capture the men’s World Cup slalom at the prestigious Hahnenkamm races.
The 33-year-old Tiroler stormed to his 7th career World Cup victory—and crucially, his first win of the 2025/26 season—with a combined time that edged out Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard by 0.35 seconds and Germany’s Linus Strasser by 0.53 seconds.
Starting from fourth after the opening run, Feller unleashed a masterful second leg, skiing with precision, aggression, and raw emotion to ignite the packed stands. Overcome with joy at the finish, the Austrian let the tears flow—this victory on one of skiing’s most iconic hills clearly meant everything after a challenging campaign so far.
Meillard, who led after the first run, held strong for silver, while Strasser secured a well-deserved bronze to round out an exciting podium.
This result marks a massive boost for Feller and Austrian skiing ahead of the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Olympics. The home hero has now tasted glory in Kitzbühel, a dream venue for any Austrian racer, and he’s back in the fight for the slalom crystal globe.
Pure passion. Pure Kitzbühel magic. Simply unstoppable when it matters most! 💪⛷️🇦🇹
