Alexander Steen Olsen leads Norwegian 1-2 finish in rain-affected men's giant slalom

Alexander Steen Olsen led a Norwegian 1-2 finish ahead of Henrik Kristoffersen in a rain-affected men's World Cup night giant slalom Tuesday in Schladming, Austria, while defending overall champion Marco Odermatt finished third.

Odermatt had won the last three giant slaloms, and 15 of the last 18, but the Olympic and world champion struggled in tough conditions to find his rhythm in the opening run and had finished 0.90 seconds behind in 12th.

The Swiss star then posted the fifth-fastest time in the second run to gain nine spots in a performance that resembled his achievement from last year in Schladming, when he finished the opening run 0.98 seconds off the lead but still managed to win the race with a frenetic final run.

"Not much went well in the first run, the second was better but also not perfect and I am on the podium with lots, lots, lots of luck," said Odermatt, who remained in the lead of both the overall and GS standings.

"I just didn't ski well. That can happen after two weeks of skiing downhills," he added, referring to winning two races at the classic speed events in Wengen and Kitzbuehel.

Steen Olsen claimed his second win of the season after triumphing in the opener in Soelden in October, when he also won ahead of Kristoffersen.

WATCH | Steen Olsen wins by 0.39 seconds over teammate Kristoffersen:

Norway's Alexander Steen Olsen triumphant in Schladming

On Tuesday, Steen Olsen screamed for joy after taking the lead in the race, then waited arm in arm with Kristoffersen for first-run leader Loic Meillard to finish.

After the Swiss skier had dropped to fourth, one-hundredth of a second behind his teammate Odermatt, Steen Olsen celebrated by jumping on the protective boarding of the finish area.

"That