Marco Odermatt started the season for the World Cup in men's alpine skiing with a victory in the giant slalom and made a serious bid for a strong performance during the campaign, the culmination of which will be the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo in February, BTA reports.
The Swiss triumphed in Sölden (Austria), after leading by one hundredth of a second after the first run, but increased his lead in the second to 0.24 over Austrian Marco Schwarz. Norway's Atli-Lee McGrath finished third, three hundredths of a second behind.
Five-time World Cup winner Odermatt won his third victory in Sölden, his 27th in the giant slalom and his 46th overall.
Strong winds forced organizers to move the start lower than originally planned, and the second run was delayed by an hour due to heavy snowfall. The World Cup continues on November 15 and 16 with the men's and women's slalom in Levi, Finland.