Norway's Kristoffersen clinches slalom title, teammate Haugan closes World Cup season with win

Norway’s Kristoffersen clinches slalom title, teammate Haugan closes World Cup season with win

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Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen reacts after a men’s slalom run at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen reacts on the podium after wining the men’s World Cup slalom season title at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen, left, and Croatia’s Zrinka Ljutic pose after winning their World Cup slalom season titles at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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Second place finisher Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen reacts on the podium for the men’s World Cup overall, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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Norway’s Timon Haugan skis during a men’s slalom run at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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Norway’s Timon Haugan skis during a men’s slalom run at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

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Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen skis during a men’s slalom run at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

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Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen reacts after a men’s slalom run at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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Second place finisher Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen, from left, first place finisher Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt and third place finisher Switzerland’s Loic Meillard pose on the podium for the men’s World Cup overall, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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Second place finisher Switzerland’s Loic Meillard, from left, first place finisher Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen and third place finisher Norway’s Timon Haugan pose on the podium for the men’s World Cup slalom season title at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

By PAT GRAHAM

SUN VALLEY, Idaho (AP) — Henrik Kristoffersen of Norway clinched the season-long slalom title Thursday by taking fourth in a race won by teammate Timon Haugan to close out the World Cup finals.

After finishing, Kristoffersen dropped to the snow and pounded his chest. He held off Swiss racer Loic Meillard in the standings to earn his fourth slalom crystal globe. Haugan’s win propelled him into third place in the standings.

“I will look back on this when I’m done with gratitude,” said the 30-year-old Kristoffersen, who captured his first World Cup slalom globe in 2015-16. “It takes a toll on everything — on the mind, on the family. Everyone around me, it takes a toll to work this hard and be on top for that long. It doesn’t get any easier.”

Haugan, the first-run leader, found a smooth line through a deteriorating course to finish in a combined time of 1 minute, 43.61 seconds. He beat Clement Noel of France by 0.03 seconds as the World Cup season came to a close. Austria’s Fabio Gstrein took third.

“Very nervous — both runs,” said Haugan, who did some shopping while in the area, purchasing some cowboys hats and a belt buckle. “So happy with how it ended.”

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United States' Mikaela Shiffrin reacts a women's slalom run at the World Cup Finals, Thursday, March 27, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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Switzerland's Marco Odermatt celebrates with his trophy after winning the giant slalom season championship at the World Cup Finals Wednesday, March 26, 2025, in Sun Valley, Idaho. (AP Photo/John Locher)

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In this Nov. 28, 2015, file photo, first-place finisher Mikaela Shiffrin, left, poses with her father Jeff Shiffrin after the women's World Cup slalom ski race in Aspen, Colo. (AP Photo/Nathan Bilow, File)

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Kristoffersen has been the model of consistency this season. He’s been inside the top eight in 11 of 12 World Cup slalom races this season, including two wins. He joins Alberto Tomba with four slalom World Cup crystal globes, which trails Ingemar Stenmark (eight) and Marcel Hirscher (six).

His immediate plans were to get some sleep and then fly home to see his young son. After that, his plans are up in the air.

Asked if he was still hungry for more, he responded: “We’ll see in August.”

Linus Strasser of Germany had a close call in his first run when a course worker walked onto the hill and near his line while he was competing. Strasser just kept right on going. He finished the day in sixth place.

“Two gates before, I saw somebody sliding in. I started to do my calculations, ‘That’s going to be tight,’” Strasser explained. “But then the last gate before I passed him, I thought, ‘I might be skiing behind him.’ It worked out.”

American Benjamin Ritchie had a fast final run to move up to seventh place.

The final overall World Cup standings on the men’s side saw Marco Odermatt of Switzerland finish with 1,721 points, Kristoffersen earn 1,116 and Meillard 1,076.

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