Alpine skiing-Feller leads Austrian podium sweep in WC slalom

Alpine Skiing - FIS Alpine Ski World Cup - Men's Slalom - Soldeu, Andorra - March 19, 2023 Austria's Manuel Feller in action REUTERS/Albert Gea/ File Photo

(Reuters) -Manuel Feller led Austria to a sweep of the World Cup slalom podium for the first time since 2001 on Saturday after setting a blistering pace on his opening run in front of a delighted home crowd at Gurgl.

The 31-year-old Feller was nearly a second faster than the field on his first run before winning the race 0.23 ahead of Marco Schwarz for his third World Cup slalom victory and first since 2021. Michael Matt completed the Austrian sweep in the first men's World Cup slalom held at Gurgl.