Daniel Yule rallies for fifth World Cup win with slalom triumph at Madonna di Campiglio
Norway's rising star Lucas Braathen led after the first run, but Yule, in his 100th World Cup start, finished with a flurry at the famed Italian stop under the lights.
Alpine Skiing
For Swiss alpine skier Daniel Yule, it's a "love story" with the famed hill of Madonna di Campiglio.
Under the lights at the Italian World Cup stop on Thursday (22 December) night, Yule won for a third time on the '3Tre' course and first since his back-to-back wins in 2018 and 2019.
"I think I have a bit of a love story with Madonna," the smiling 29-year-old said after his first World Cup win since the 2019-20 season. "The slopes are amazing here. To be back on the top steps after a few difficult seasons it just feels amazing."
Yule was fourth after the first run, 0.55 behind leader and Val D'Isere winner Lucas Braathen, but scorched to a 47.62 in run two to register a 1:37.67, just 0.08 seconds ahead of Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway (1:37.75).
The two-time Olympian Yule was eighth in the slalom at PyeongChang 2018 and sixth at Beijing 2022, but has struggled with his confidence in the recent past.
"My second run was really good," Yule added. "I was standing in the ski gate and I heard 'that's for sure a podium for [Kristoffersen]' and I thought to myself, 'We'll see about that.' I was fourth by seven hundredths here once, so to win by 0.08, it's kind of payback."
Kristoffersen was looking for a 22nd World Cup slalom win overall and fourth at Madonna di Campiglio (2015, 2016, 2020).
"We have to work a little bit on the first run," he said after. "We changed something for the second run and it was much better. We have to keep working. But when you're on the podium it's not too bad."
He added: "Better is always possible."
Linus Strasser of Germany held his position from run one to finish in third with a 1:37.85, while Braathen ended up in fourth with a 1:37.94.
Braathen was looking to become the first man to win the opening two slalom events of a season since Marcel Hirscher in 2018-19.
Madonna di Campiglio, FIS World Cup
Men's slalom
1. Daniel Yule (SUI) 1:37.67
2. Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) 1:37.75
3. Linus Strasser (GER)1:37.85
4. Lucas Braathen (NOR) 1:37.94
5. Manuel Feller (AUT) 1:38.20
6. Marco Schwarz (AUT) 1:38.46
7. Kristoffer Jakobsen (SWE) 1:38.63
8. Fabrio Gstrein (AUT) 1:38.75
9. Adrian Pertl (AUT) 1:38.78
10. Albert Popov (BUL) 1:38.87