Von Grünigen completes Swiss haul
Michael von Grünigen clinched his second Swiss championship title of the weekend on Sunday, adding the men's slalom crown to Saturday's giant slalom victory.
The world giant slalom champion completed Sunday’s race at Melchsee-Frutt in a combined time of 1’34″67, to finish four tenths of a second ahead of Urs Imboden. Following a disappointing season for Swiss skiers in the slalom discipline, there was little surprise that the next three places were taken by foreign athletes.
Austria’s Martin Marinac, Liechtenstein’s Markus Ganahl and another Austrian, Reinfried Herbst, recorded the third, fourth and fifth quickest times respectively, to leave Elm’s Roger Zweifel as the next fastest Swiss skier in sixth place.
The biggest disappointment of the day, though, was probably that experienced by the defending Swiss champion, Didier Plaschy. The 27-year-old skier from canton Valais compounded an already miserable season by crashing out of the first run after just six gates.
Afterwards Plaschy admitted that he would be considering his future in the sport.
“I don’t know whether I’ll be continuing with my career,” he said. “I’m going to be thinking very hard about it as well as consulting the head of the men’s team, Didier Bartsch.”
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