Hirscher wins record-equalling seventh slalom title

Imperious Marcel Hirscher blitzed Sunday's slalom to equal a record seven world titles in an Austrian podium sweep that handed the alpine powerhouse a first gold of the world championships in Are. Wearing bib number three, Hirscher laid down an outstanding first run on the Olympia course that completely outclassed the field and was the bedrock of a comprehensive victory - his third world slalom title after 2013 and 2017.
Hirscher, in what he admitted might be his last world championships, timed a combined total of 2min 05.86sec, with Michael Matt taking silver and Marco Schwarz bronze, at 0.65 and 0.76sec respectively. "Today I think it was really much better than, for example, four days ago," Hirscher said of his fitness, having competed in the giant slalom (in which he won silver) with a heavy cold. "I really want to thank my whole team because they made this possible. They worked really hard to bring me here in the starting gate. "It's unbelievable. After 2013, 2017 and now 2019, maybe my last world champs, so it's finally good to have another gold medal."
His third world slalom title draws him level with compatriot Toni Sailer for a record seven world titles in all events, two coming in the team event. Hirscher, on track for a record eighth consecutive World Cup overall title this season, is also just the third man to win successive slalom world titles after Sweden's Ingemar Stenmar (1978-82) and Swiss Rudolf Rominger (1938-39).
France's Alexis Pinturault was sat in second after the first run, chasing a third medal of these worlds having snapped up combined gold and giant slalom bronze. But he fluffed his lines on the second run to eventually finish fourth behind the Austrian triumvirate, almost a second off Hirscher. "I knew that Alexis was not in the lead," Hirscher said of his tactics in the second descent. "So in the first part I tried to push it really, really hard. Then there were two or three gates where it was bumpy, hopefully stay safe there and then into the finish line, another attack."
Switzerland's Ramon Zenhaeusern, who was in electric form winning all four of his head-to-head races as he helped Switzerland win team event gold, was only 12th fastest after the first leg, paying a costly price for a mistake seven turns from the bottom.