"But give us opponents!"

like to lodge Swiss supporters on victory nights.

Without their maestro Marco Odermatt, winner of four of the first five winter giants but resting with a blow to his left knee suffered in Kitzbühel on Friday, the door seemed open for competitors from other nations.

But no, with a remarkable density, with Meillard ahead of Gino Caviezel (59/100), the Swiss team still managed the double over the giant of Schladming disputed at night in a beautiful atmosphere (about 8,000 people), even less furious than the day before for the slalom (40,000 supporters).

Collector of podiums (13 before the race), the talented and versatile Loïc Meillard (26) always came across stronger than him, except for his only victory in the less popular parallel discipline in February 2020.

Often in difficulty when it was necessary to close the gate in the second run, the Valaisan, born in Neuchâtel, this time knew how to assume his first perfect run to conquer victory.

"I'm happy to have been able to win in giant, to celebrate this victory and to share it with Gino it's fantastic. It was the moment, finally. I knew the skiing was there. It didn't want until now, but the work has finally paid off", blew the winner in the mixed zone.

Swiss Loïc Meillard during the second round of the Schladming giant, January 25, 2023 © GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA/AFP

Gino Caviezel, whose brother Mauro retired during the season, won his third podium, the first of the winter.

"The Swiss were very strong today, especially in the first run. We had the impression that everything was extremely easy, they were able to take a speed that the rest of us couldn't take, they were very good" , greeted the Frenchman Alexis Pinturault.

"Tackle"

After two catastrophic slaloms on Sunday and Tuesday (not qualified for the second run both times), Pinturault raised his head a little with a 7th place finish at 1 sec 66 behind the winner.

"I find that my race, in terms of place, is not necessarily better, but in terms of feeling, it's much better. It's also good to be able to feel that I can ski, attack, put all my means in skiing. I still have to find improvements on the equipment", continued the world N.1 2021.

Frenchman Alexis Pinturault during the second round of the Schladming giant, January 25, 2023 © GEORG HOCHMUTH / APA/AFP

Less than two weeks before the Courchevel / Méribel Worlds (February 6-19), Pinturault remains in search of his best level, like his world champion teammate Mathieu Faivre, only 17th on Wednesday.

The Austrian Marco Schwarz delighted the public by taking 3rd place (81/100), just ahead of the Norwegian revelation Alexander Steen Olsen.

At 21, the 2022 double junior world champion (giant and slalom) had his best race on the international circuit.

Austrian Marco Schwarz third from the Schladming giant, January 25, 2023 © ERWIN SCHERIAU / APA/AFP

In the finish area in the first heat, Marco Odermatt hopes to be able to compete in the super-Gs of Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy) on Saturday and Sunday, the last speed races before the Worlds.

With a convincing 8th place in Schladming in a discipline that is not his specialty, the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, runner-up to Odermatt in the general classification, came within 193 points of the Swiss.

© 2023 AFP