Paco Rassat takes season lead in men's World Cup slalom after defeating Norwegian pair

The big surprise of the World Cup slalom season scored his second win Sunday adding to his fast-rising reputation before the Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina next month.

Paco Rassat raced to the fastest time in the second run to rise from fourth place, clocking one minute 55.22 seconds, and pushing two Norwegians down the podium steps after they had been fastest in the morning run in Adelboden, Switzerland.

United States-born Atle Lie McGrath was edged out by 0.18 seconds and first-run leader Henrik Kristoffersen dropped to third, trailing 0.20 behind Rassat.

Rassat, a 27-year-old Frenchman, had a career-best result of ninth in World Cup races before this Olympic season started.

He now has two wins, a third place and two sixth places this season and shapes as an Olympic medal contender in Italy. The men's slalom is on Feb. 16 at Bormio.

"To win on this crazy hill at Adelboden, it's something really unbelievable," Rassat told Swiss broadcaster RTS, describing his season as "a magnificent surprise."

France's Rassat upsets slalom field at World Cup race in Adelboden

Erik Read was the lone Canadian entered in the race, and the Calgary native did not finish his opening run.

Rassat also took the lead in the season World Cup slalom standings, ahead of his France teammate Clement Noel, the defending Olympic champion. Noel tied for eighth Sunday.

McGrath was runner-up in the Adelboden slalom for the third time in four years.

"It's kind of crazy," said McGrath, whose father Felix skied for the U.S. at the 1988 Calgary Olympics. "I'm of course super happy, it's such a challenging slope and mentally it's one of the toughest places to perform because of this amazing crowd."

Another packed finish-area crowd at Adelboden