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Quick Answer
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the opening men's giant slalom of the Alpine Ski World Cup season at Solden on Sunday 25 October 2026, beating Loic Meillard by 0.48 seconds, with five time defending overall champion Marco Odermatt third, 0.49 seconds behind.
Who won the Solden men's giant slalom final?
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the men's giant slalom at Solden on Sunday 25 October 2026, and he did it from the front. The Brazilian, who races for Brazil after switching from Norway, led after the first run by 0.24 seconds from Loic Meillard, and he extended that lead through the second run to win by 0.48 seconds. Meillard was second, and Marco Odermatt was third, just 0.01 seconds behind Meillard and 0.49 seconds behind Braathen. Braathen's winning time was 1 minute 44.72 seconds across the two runs, which lasted just over 52 seconds each. The course was shortened for both runs because of strong winds, with the entire upper section cancelled, which turned the race into a sprint. Braathen navigated the wall and the transition to the final flat section better than anyone else, and he held his nerve when Meillard and Odermatt, the final two racers, both threatened to take the lead. Braathen said afterwards: "What a relief to be able to open the show in this way. I have worked so hard this whole summer. I've been searching for new curiosities, new paths to evolve from last year's Olympic gold and the giant slalom crystal globe. And you know, we're headed towards new goals, new objectives." He is now unbeaten in giant slalom since his Olympic gold at Milano Cortina in February, and he won the last two giant slaloms of last season as well.
What were the full Solden men's results?
The final results show just how close the podium was, and how much movement there was behind it. River Radamus of the United States finished fourth, climbing from 15th after the first run, and Britain's Freddy Carrick-Smith finished 12th after starting with bib 46, moving up to 21st after the first run and then to 12th at the finish.
| Position | Skier | Country | Gap to winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucas Pinheiro Braathen | Brazil | - |
| 2 | Loic Meillard | Switzerland | +0.48 |
| 3 | Marco Odermatt | Switzerland | +0.49 |
| 4 | River Radamus | United States | - |
| 5 | Raphael Haaser | Austria | - |
| 6 | Fabian Gratz | Germany | - |
| 7 | Alex Vinatzer | Italy | - |
| 12 | Freddy Carrick-Smith | Britain | - |
| Odermatt went fastest on the second run, which is a sign of his form after a pre-season affected by injury, but he could not make up the 0.55 seconds he lost in the first run. He said: "To start the season with a podium is always nice. I made a big step in the second run: I found the race gear and that's the most important thing." He added: "Lucas was too fast in the first run for the victory today." Odermatt's 47th World Cup giant slalom podium moved him ahead of fellow Swiss racers Michael von Grunigen and Vreni Schneider for the most all time among Swiss racers. | |||
| Meillard, the Olympic slalom gold medallist, was particularly strong on the closing stretch in the second run, and he surrendered only a small part of Braathen's lead. For Braathen, the win was his fifth World Cup giant slalom victory and his 12th podium in the discipline, and it gives him an early lead in the new season's standings. | |||
| Some big names fell away. Italy's Giovanni Franzoni and Norway's Atle Lie McGrath both made mistakes in the second run and dropped out of contention, after promising first runs. Giovanni Borsotti of Italy, who started 29th, was level with Braathen at the first intermediate time in the first run, but a mistake at the entrance to the wall in the second run ruled him out. |
How did the Solden weekend unfold?
The Solden weekend started on Saturday 24 October with Paula Moltzan's first World Cup win in the women's giant slalom, edging Lara Colturi by just 0.01 seconds. Moltzan, 32, won from fifth after the first run, in a race where defending Solden winner Julia Scheib crashed out in the first run after the fastest intermediate splits, and Mikaela Shiffrin, who led after the first run, dropped to seventh after the 27th fastest second run. Sunday's men's race was a different kind of drama, because the wind shortened both runs and turned the race into a sprint. The first run times from yesterday's report, Braathen 52.40, Meillard +0.24, Stefan Brennsteiner +0.49, Odermatt +0.55, McGrath +0.64, Gratz +0.69 and Kristoffersen +0.74, set up a second run shootout, but Braathen's second run, the tenth fastest, was enough to hold on. Three of the final four racers took the lead at different points, but the final starter, Braathen, won. This post updates yesterday's Run 1 report, which was published before the final result was known. The Run 1 report is now superseded by this final result, and fans who read yesterday's post should use this post for the confirmed podium and standings.
What does Braathen's win mean for the season?
Braathen's win means he starts the season as the man to beat in giant slalom, and as an early challenger to Odermatt for the overall World Cup title. Odermatt is chasing a sixth straight overall title, which would make him only the second man after Marcel Hirscher, who won eight, to claim six overall titles. Braathen, who took the giant slalom crystal globe from Odermatt last season and won Olympic gold in February, is the most credible challenger to that dominance. The Solden result also shows that the giant slalom field is deeper than ever. Meillard and Odermatt are already close to top form, Radamus delivered a career best style performance for Team USA, and Carrick-Smith's rise from bib 46 to 12th shows that the next generation is not waiting for permission. The German team also had a strong start, with Fabian Gratz sixth, his second best World Cup finish, and Anton Grammel 15th and Alexander Schmid 21st. For Odermatt, a podium after an injury affected pre-season is a solid start, not a setback. He made a big step in the second run, and he will be a different proposition on a full length course. For Braathen, the challenge now is to back up a sprint win on a shortened course with a win on a full course, and to carry his giant slalom form into the slalom races that follow.
What comes next: Levi slaloms on 14 and 15 November?
The Alpine Ski World Cup season continues with slalom races in Levi, Finland, on 14 and 15 November 2026. The women's slalom is on Saturday 14 November, and the men's slalom is on Sunday 15 November. Braathen won last season's Levi slalom, his first victory with the Brazilian flag, so he will arrive in Levi as a defending winner as well as a Solden winner. Levi is a very different test from Solden. It is a flat, technical slalom on a short, icy slope in the Arctic Circle, where the first run often decides the race and where the light fades early in the afternoon. It is also the race where Mikaela Shiffrin has traditionally been dominant, and where the men's slalom field will be led by the specialists who skipped Solden's giant slalom. For fans, Levi is the next chance to see whether Braathen's form carries across disciplines, whether Odermatt can strike back, and whether Moltzan can build on her Solden breakthrough. The Solden weekend, with two first time winners in Moltzan and a dominant Braathen, has set up a season that already feels wide open, even though Odermatt remains the favourite for the overall title.
What are the early World Cup standings?
After Solden, Braathen leads the men's giant slalom standings and the early overall standings, with Meillard second and Odermatt third in the giant slalom. The women's giant slalom standings are led by Moltzan, with Colturi second and Shiffrin seventh after her second run drop. These are early standings, with only one race completed in each discipline, but they matter because they set the start order and the bib numbers for the next races. Solden traditionally serves as an early indicator rather than a season decider, so Braathen's win creates momentum and a storyline to watch, not a championship verdict. The season is long, the courses will get longer and harder, and Odermatt has won five straight overall titles for a reason. But for now, the story is simple: Braathen is the man to beat, Odermatt is close behind, and the World Cup season is underway. Sources: Reuters via Straits Times and Channel News Asia, Ski Racing, SnowBrains, Winter Insight, FIS event results. Internal links: Skiing category hub; https://www.ofthepitch.com/solden-mens-gs-run1-braathen-leads-odermatt-fourth ; https://www.ofthepitch.com/moltzan-first-world-cup-win-solden-shiffrin-seventh
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the Solden men's giant slalom final?
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won on Sunday 25 October 2026, beating Loic Meillard by 0.48 seconds, with Marco Odermatt third, 0.49 seconds behind.
What was Braathen's winning time at Solden?
Braathen's combined time was 1 minute 44.72 seconds across two runs that lasted just over 52 seconds each, after both runs were shortened because of strong winds.
Where did Marco Odermatt finish at Solden?
Odermatt finished third, after going fastest on the second run but losing 0.55 seconds in the first run. It was his 47th World Cup giant slalom podium, a Swiss record.
Who won the Solden women's giant slalom?
Paula Moltzan won on Saturday 24 October, edging Lara Colturi by 0.01 seconds for her first World Cup win, with Mikaela Shiffrin seventh.
When is the next Alpine Ski World Cup race?
The next races are slaloms in Levi, Finland, with the women's slalom on Saturday 14 November and the men's slalom on Sunday 15 November 2026.
Why was the Solden men's course shortened?
Strong winds forced race officials to cancel the entire upper section and use a lower reserve start for both runs, turning the race into a sprint with less opportunity to recover lost time.
