Austrian skier Manuel Feller clinches the World Cup slalom title after Kranjska Gora race canceled

1 of 7 |

Austria’s Manuel Feller kisses his skis after placing first in a men’s World Cup slalom skiing race Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Olympic Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

2 of 7 |

Austria’s Manuel Feller competes during a men’s World Cup slalom skiing race Sunday, March 3, 2024, in Aspen, Colo. (AP Photo/John Locher)

3 of 7 |

First place finisher Austria’s Manuel Feller, right, and second place finisher France’s Clement Noel drink champaign after a men’s World Cup slalom skiing race Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Olympic Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

4 of 7 |

First place finisher Austria’s Manuel Feller celebrates while posing with his team after a men’s World Cup slalom skiing race Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Olympic Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

5 of 7 |

First place finisher Austria’s Manuel Feller is sprayed with champagne after a men’s World Cup slalom skiing race Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Olympic Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/John Locher)

6 of 7 |

Austria’s Manuel Feller reacts after his second run in a men’s World Cup slalom skiing race, Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, in Olympic Valley, Calif. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

7 of 7 |

Austria’s Manuel Feller reacts after completing an alpine ski, men’s World Cup giant slalom race, in Bansko, Bulgaria, Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Piermarco Tacca)

OBERHOFEN, Switzerland (AP) — Austrian skier Manuel Feller clinched the World Cup slalom title Wednesday for his first career crystal globe when Saturday’s race in Kranjska Gora was canceled because of heavy rain at the Slovenian resort.

Feller, who won four of the nine slaloms this season, now holds an insurmountable 169-point lead over Linus Strasser of Germany in the slalom standings with only one more race remaining at the World Cup finals.

It’s perhaps Feller’s biggest career achievement after winning the silver medal in slalom at the 2017 world championships in St. Moritz, Switzerland.

It’s the eighth men’s slalom globe for Austria in the last 12 seasons and the first since Marco Schwarz claimed the title in 2020-21. Before that, Marcel Hirscher won it six times.

The Kranjska Gora race was initially scheduled for Sunday but then moved up to Saturday after a giant slalom was canceled because of poor conditions on the upper portion of the course.

Then rain “completely destroyed the slope,” the International Ski Federation said, adding that time constraints meant that the race could not be moved to another resort on such short notice.

___

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing