SOELDEN, Austria (AP) β Last season Marcel Hirscher beat one Norwegian to win the men’s overall World Cup title. This time he might have to beat two.
Together with close friend Aksel Lund Svindal, who is back from a season-long injury layoff, last year’s runner-up Kjetil Jansrud plans to start another battle with the Austrian four-time champion when Sunday’s giant slalom kicks off the new season.
Add Alexis Pinturault of France, and the quartet of expected favorites for the big crystal globe is complete.
Hirscher says he is ready to take on the challenge but doesn’t know after summer training how fast he is compared to his rivals.
The Austrian says “it’s a kind of thriller. Everyone asks me, ‘Where are you now?’ I have no idea.”
