Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Men's Slalom - Courchevel, France - February 19, 2023 Austria's Manuel Feller in action during the first run REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
COURCHEVEL, France (Reuters) -Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen took gold in the final men's slalom of the Alpine skiing world championships on Sunday while Alexandros "AJ" Ginnis finished second to give Greece a first ever winter sports medal.
Italian Alex Vinatzer claimed the bronze while Alpine powerhouse Austria, who led the first run with Manuel Feller, ended the championships without a gold for the first time since 1987.
France's 2022 Olympic slalom champion Clement Noel was fourth, missing a medal by 0.03 seconds.
Kristoffersen made a stunning comeback from 16th place after the first run, setting the fastest time over the second leg down the icy L'Eclipse piste to strike gold on a sunny day in the French Alps.
"It’s worse standing in the finish and waiting than standing at the top. I’ve done both plenty of times, but the finish is worse because you’ve done your run, and you can’t change anything," said the 2019 giant slalom gold medallist.
"I won most things in slalom except Olympic gold and world championship gold. So I think it was about time."
His second-run time of 51.66 left him 0.20 quicker overall than Ginnis, who had been equal second with Norway's Lucas Braathen after the first run. Vinatzer was a further 0.18 slower.
As Kristoffersen's wait in the leader's chair at the finish area stretched to nearly half an hour, a string of medal contenders fell short under pressure.
Nobody was feeling it more than Feller, Austria's last hope of gold, who had crashed in the warm-up and needed painkillers before his first run.
Two years ago in Italy's Cortina d'Ampezzo the Austrians led the table with five golds but they leave Courchevel-Meribel with three silvers and four bronzes.
Switzerland topped the medal standings this time with three golds, three silvers and a bronze.
Ginnis started the first run 24th and said he felt no pressure.
"I’m out of words. These last two weeks have been everything I’ve dreamed of. Maybe in the after-season, I will realise it," he said.
"Our first world championship medal at a snow or ice event. It is a memory for me, but history for Greece."
The 28-year-old, who has come back from six knee operations, was born in Athens but moved to America at the age of 15 and competed for the U.S. ski team at the 2017 worlds before representing Greece from 2020.
He was also second in a World Cup slalom in Chamonix on Feb. 4, a first World Cup podium for his country.
"It feels unreal," his serviceman Gabriel Coulet told Eurosport. "He went to chase his dream for Greece after so many injuries and he never let go.
"He always had the speed but with all the hurdles he had in his life he could never really bring it to a big achievement like this... today his dream came true."
Norway's defending world champion Sebastian Foss-Solevaag finished 19th.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Ed Osmond and Clare Fallon)
