Zagreb: Marcel Hirscher surged back to the top of the overall World Cup standings after securing his third win of the season in the Zagreb floodlit slalom.
The 22-year-old Austrian captured the third slalom victory of his career in a combined time of one minute 51.84 seconds to lead the overall table on 525 points.
Hirscher, who won another slalom in Alta Badia last month and a giant slalom in Beaver Creek earlier in the season, leads Norway`s Aksel Lund Svindal by 69 points.
"If he goes on like this he will be hard to beat for the big globe trophy," overall World Cup champion Ivica Kostelic told reporters.
"He is young, fresh, aggressive but also consistent. He has no doubts," added the 32-year-old Croat after finishing third, 0.48 seconds off the pace.
Germany`s Felix Neureuther was second, 0.29 adrift, as he claimed his second podium finish of the season.
Kostelic, who has been second on three occasions on his home piste, must wait another year to achieve his first win in Zagreb.
"It`s hard to appreciate what a tough race this is for me - the stress and the pressure from all these people," he said. "But it`s one of the highlights of my season."
In front of 20,000 fans, Hirscher`s task was made more difficult by the mild weather producing a quickly deteriorating piste.
Fastest in the first leg, the Austrian started last in the afternoon on a course seriously damaged by ruts and tricky bumps.
"I didn`t believe for a second that I could win in these circumstances," he said. "I went at full gas, at times at 110 percent, but that`s the way I ski.
"My last four starts here were so bad. Three times I didn`t even make it to the finish."
Hirscher and Kostelic will again be among the favourites next weekend in Adelboden, the Swiss resort where the Croat began his incredible haul of seven wins in a month last season.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.