Schwarz on top again in Livigno Super G

Marco Schwarz (AUT/Atomic) wasn't prepared to wait another 729 days to make it back to the top of the podium.

Six days after his breakthrough Giant Slalom victory last Sunday in Alta Badia following two years of struggles with injuries and form, the Austrian allrounder mastered a short, technical Super G in Livigno on Saturday to win again.

Taking full advantage of his Giant Slalom skills where the course demanded them, as well as the errors of some of his rivals, Schwarz won his first World Cup speed race and is suddenly the in-form skier on tour.

On a day when his Austrian teammates faltered, Schwarz finished in 1:10.33, ahead of a trio of Swiss rivals: Alexis Monney (SUI/Stöckli, +0.20s), Franjo Von Allmen (SUI/Head, +0.25s) and, just off the podium, Marco Odermatt (SUI/Stöckli, +0.29s).

"It's been a while," said Schwarz, whose only previous Super G podium was a second place in Soldeu at the 2023 World Cup finals.

He was building towards this performance, however, gaining confidence not just from his Giant Slalom victory in Alta Badia, but by finishing a promising 13th in the Super G in Val Gardena two days earlier.

"Since Groeden (Val Gardena) I have the feeling I can be back in Super G as well," he said. "I think today I did a good job, I think I made a good run."

In the first Alpine skiing World Cup race held in Livigno and on a flat course described pre-race as easy, several top skiers found themselves caught out by some trickier-than-expected turns.

Schwarz skied beautifully from top to bottom, however, showing the gliding and carving skills necessary to conquer the mountain in the resort that will host freestyle and snowboard events during February's Olympic Winter Games.

Describing his skiing as "a good mix", the 30-year-old simplified the course and his strategy, saying, "On this kind of snow, you have to ski super clean and also go straight in some parts."

While Schwarz celebrated, his more fancied teammates in Super G, Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT/Head) and Raphael Haaser (AUT/Atomic), were among 15 skiers who didn't make it to the finish line.

Kriechmayr led Schwarz's splits heading into the lower section, but lost his balance on a wild jump and went out two gates later, while Haaser spun out of a key, sweeping left-footed turn in the mid-section to also register a DNF.

That opened the door for the Swiss challenge, and while Odermatt wasn't at his best, losing his balance on the same turn that caught Hasser out, his younger teammates produced their best Super G performances of the season.

Entering the race, Monney had not reached the top 10 in three Super G contests so far this campaign, but he turned that around on Saturday.

The 25-year-old particularly impressed on the lower, technical turns, skiing the last sector faster than anyone else — Schwarz included — to make his first podium of the season in any discipline after registering five last season.

"At the beginning of the season I always made mistakes with my run," Monney said. "I think it was possible to fight for the podium and I was always a bit sad to see what's possible and what I didn't do, and now I'm really happy.

"The pressure (from his top results last season), I put on myself. I have to learn a bit from last season.

"Maybe I found a new way to ski. Now it's really possible, so maybe I will unlock everything."

Similarly, Monney's teammate Von Allmen had struggled in Super G before Saturday, with only one result — ninth in the season opener in Copper Mountain — to show for the season and DNFs in his last two starts.

But the 24-year-old skied in a more controlled fashion on Saturday and led Schwarz at the jump before losing time in the lower, technical section that suited Schwarz and Monney so well.

"I'm really happy because I have two zeros in a row in Super G, so I'm in the finish with a good result," Von Allmen said.

"It's not really a difficult course, but difficult to be fast. Every drift and every small, careful curve is slow."

The men's speed tour will take a break until resuming in a more familiar resort in Wengen on 16 January, but as for Livigno's Alpine skiing debut, the winner seemed fairly content with it.

"First time in Livigno, I have to say I really like it here," said Schwarz.

Click here for full results from Saturday's race.