The two-time world champion held his nerve during a delayed second run, making the most of the gate pattern set in his style to pull back the 0.06 seconds he lost to Pinheiro Braathen in the first run.
His clean turns on the upper part of the course gave way to erratic but effective carves through the last few gates, putting him in control of the leader’s seat with only the Brazilian star left to ski.
With Braathen bleeding time at every split, Meillard’s chances of victory in Schladming only increased. The festive atmosphere reached a crescendo as the Swiss star celebrated his victory in the finish area, with Braathen finishing second, 0.73 seconds behind.
The duo was joined on stage by a French rising star Alban Elezi Cannaferinawho produced a sensational second run to jump from eighth to third – earning his first World Cup podium in 21 starts.
“I just tried to push it to the limit,” Meillard told broadcasters. “I made some little mistakes a few times, but I thought, ‘No, I’ll just let it go and not think too much,’ and it paid off.”
“It’s always been a slope that I liked,” he added. “I have fond memories of the first win in the GS, and to win here again is great.”
Meillard is now third in the overall World Cup rankings 683 pointsbehind teammate Marco Odermatt (1,335 points) and Brazil’s Pinheiro Braathen (748 points). He hopes to win his first Olympic medal at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
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