Schwarz claims World Cup slalom win in Schladming

Austrian Marco Schwarz claimed his second victory and fourth podium of the year as he continued his strong season by topping the podium on home soil in Schladming.

The 25-year-old was in sixth place after his opening run of 51.38 but his second effort of 52.66 proved enough to leapfrog his rivals with an overall time of 1:44.04.

France's Noel Clement took second place 0.68 seconds behind Schwarz while Alexis Pinturault completed the podium after runs of 52.22 and 52.64 saw him trail the winner by 0.82.

Norway's Sebastian Foss-Solevaag just missed out on the medals having been second after the opening run while Ramon Zenhaeusern of Switzerland finished fifth.

Austrian Manuel Feller had led the way after the opening run but he failed to finish his second run as heavy snowfall made conditions unpredictable as the competition progressed.

The victory for Schwarz will give him a huge boost heading into the World Ski Championships in Cortina and he was delighted to clinch another triumph against the odds.

"It's pretty amazing to win in Schladming, it's the classic to win," he said. "It was tough to come back from sixth place in the first run, but to win feels pretty amazing."

The race also marked the end of an era for 41-year-old Julien Lizeroux, who was unable to qualify as he skied in his last race after announcing his retirement last week.