Giant Slalom World Championships 2019 Odds
Who wins giant slalom for men at Alpine World Ski Championships 2019?
Giant slalom is easily considered as one of the most difficult events in alpine skiing, due to extreme technical predispositions surrounding the event. The combination of speed and technique make giant slalom (from now on written as GS) one of the most interesting and intense events at the upcoming World championship. The upcoming WC will take place in Are, Sweden in February of next year.
At the last World Championship, the incredible Marcel Hirscher took home the golden medal and is therefore the main favorite to defend the title at the upcoming tournament as well. Just like in slalom, Marcel Hirscher makes giant slalom as one of his strongest events. He has won the event 28 times in his career and is the current GS winner in the World cup as well. He also won the GS overall event five times in his career. His 54 victories in various alpine skiing events shows his dominance in technical disciplines and he will undoubtedly be the favorite at the 2019 event. His aggressive way of skiing has often bewildered the crowds at skiing events, usually because that type of skiing is not recommended for technical events. Hirscher also holds the golden medal from 2018 Winter Olympics, so anything other than a comfortable Hirscher win would be a surprise.
Henrik Kristoffersen is another skier that is hoping for a medal of the shiniest kind at the upcoming World Championship. Although GS is not primarily his event, he recorded great results during the previous season including a silver medal at the Olympics and a second place in GS overall event. He will use any chance he is potentially given to beat Hirscher and is a firm contender. At the last WC he finished fourth and it is expected that he will make a push to win this medal as well, despite being only 23 years old and plenty of time ahead of him. This is another event where we will look forward to a Hirscher-Kristoffersen duel.
Alexis Pinturault will look to hijack any medal possible, with him being the third favorite of the Giant Slalom race. Although he has failed to significantly damage the results of both Kristoffersen and Hirscher in 2018, he is undoubtedly the third best in this event and will most likely finish among the medals. Alexis finished third at the Winter Olympics and came third in the GS overall standings. Pinturault significantly improved his form for the combined event, but GS has long been his desire for a better result and finishing among the top three for six consecutive seasons. Unfortunately for him, we see him repeating that in 2019 as well, but not as a winner.
Other favorites might include American veteran Ted Ligety, who can make a surprise and hijack a medal at this event and also Roland Leitinger, who came very close of beating Hirscher in 2017 WC, but finished second at the end.