COPPER MOUNTAIN, United States :Switzerland's four-times overall World Cup champion Marco Odermatt saw his giant slalom bid at Copper Mountain end abruptly on Friday, as Austrian Stefan Brennsteiner seized the early lead in a surprise shake-up of the field.
Fresh off a Super-G victory on Thursday and coming into the race after winning the Giant Slalom opener in Soelden last month, Odermatt was building a strong run when he lost control of his inside ski at a right-hand gate and slid out.
It marked the Swiss's first giant slalom non-finish in almost a year, the last coming just down the road in Beaver Creek last December.
"A classic inside ski mistake, typical for this snow here. Too bad, that never really happens to me in training," Odermatt, who did not sustain serious injuries, told reporters.
His exit was one of several upsets in the first run, as Norway's Atle Lie McGrath, one of the season's early standout performers, also dropped out of contention.
Brennsteiner delivered a clean, aggressive descent, setting the pace, 0.26 seconds faster than Slovenian Zan Kranjec in second.
A gold medallist in the team event at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Brennsteiner is well-placed to earn a first World Cup victory at 34 after four career podium finishes in giant slalom.
Swiss Thomas Tumler, last year's winner in Beaver Creek, completed the top three.
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