German Linus Strasser fastest in Kitzbuehel slalom run, wins 1st race on childhood course

German skier Linus Strasser got down on his knees and kissed the snow on an Austrian slope he has known since he was a child, with his wife Maria and their one-year-old daughter watching from the stands.

Returning to the place where he learned to ski as a young boy, Strasser won the men's World Cup slalom at the classic Hahnenkamm races Sunday for his first win in two years.

"Incredible, the circle is complete. I am so connected to Kitzbuehel, to Austria," Strasser said. "Without the fanaticism of the people here, I would never have made it onto the World Cup."

Strasser moved up from fourth position by posting the fastest second-run time to beat Kristoffer Jakobsen by 0.14 seconds, clocking a two-run time of one minute 40.36 seconds. The Norwegian, wearing bib 20, had edged the pre-race favorites to lead the first run.

Switzerland's Daniel Yule, who won the race last year and in 2020, trailed by 0.20 in third (1:40.56).

Strasser was born in Munich but grew up in Kitzbuehel.

"I learned to ski here, my parents [moved] here, had my first race here. I always dreamed to come back as a World Cup skier and win the World Cup," he said.

WATCH | Strasser realizes dream of winning World Cup slalom in Kitzbuehel:

It was Strasser's fourth World Cup win but first since triumphing at a night race in Schladming in early 2022.

"Races in Austria are special because of the atmosphere, the organization, the myth. This is were ski racing history was written and you can still feel it in 2024. Now I'm missing only two more classics, then I would be completely happy: Wengen and Adelboden," said Strasser, referring to two iconic races in Switzerland traditionally held in the first half of January.

Strasser became the first German winner of a