Yule wins slalom after Hirscher and Kristoffersen straddle

MADONNA DI CAMPIGLIO, ITALY >> Swiss skier Daniel Yule claimed his first World Cup victory when first- run leaders Marcel Hirscher and Henrik Kristoffersen straddled gates in the second leg of a night slalom on Saturday.

Yule finished 0.34 seconds ahead of Marco Schwarz of Austria and 0.50 ahead of Olympic bronze medalist Michael Matt of Austria.

Yule, who stood fourth after the first run, was able to successfully navigate the bumpy turns on the upper portion of the steep Canalone Miramonti course in the second leg, which was set by his coach.

Kristoffersen straddled just three gates into his second run, and Hirscher didn’t make it much further.

“It’s really incredible,” Yule said. “When I reached the finish I thought it would be enough for the podium but definitely not enough to win.

“I would have never expected both Marcel and Henrik to straddle in the same race. They’re the legends of our sport.”

Yule’s only previous podium results were two third-place finishes in slaloms in Kitzbuehel and Schladming, Austria, last season.

Hirscher, who won the opening two slaloms of the season, kept the discipline and overall World Cup lead.

While Kristoffersen just skied away after his error, Hirscher hiked back up to the gate he missed and completed the course to finish 26th — nearly 20 seconds behind Yule.