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'All in' Hirscher wins world giant slalom at last

Hirscher, on track for a sixth consecutive World Cup overall crystal globe and silver medallist in last week's alpine combined in St Moritz, clocked a total time of 2min 13.31sec.

Austria's Marcel Hirscher shows his delight in the finish area after the second run of the men's giant slalom race at the 2017 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in St Moritz on February 17, 2017

Hirscher, on track for a sixth consecutive World Cup overall crystal globe and silver medallist in last week's alpine combined in St Moritz, clocked a total time of 2min 13.31sec, with snow flurries and cloud hampering the second run.

"It took me six years to get this world champion title after finishing second twice before," said Hirscher.

"It was very hard to fight in the second run, and physically it was one of the toughest runs of the season."

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Hirscher added: "I said to myself 'let's go, all in and try your best' because skiing out is better than finishing 10th."

The Austrian said it was a "big celebration day" for his country after unheralded teammate Roland Leitinger, whose previous best World Cup finish was a sixth place in the Soleden giant slalom in 2015, claimed a shock silver, 0.25sec adrift.

"The feeling to be in second with silver in St Moritz is unbelievable," said Leitinger, 25. "In the last few training days, I've had good speed on my skis.

"I had a really good first run and said to myself I can do more. I didn't overthink it, I just let it go."

Leif Kristian Haugen of Norway usurped favoured teammate Henrik Kristoffersen by five-hundredths of a second to take bronze, at 0.71sec, a first Norwegian medal in the giant slalom since the injured Aksel Lund Svindal won gold in 2007.

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Reigning three-time champion Ted Ligety, behind whom Hirscher won silvers in 2015 in Beaver Creek/Vail and 2013 in Schladming, was unable to defend his title, the American having undergone surgery on a back injury.

French hopes of a third successive gold medal in St Moritz, after victories in the team event and women's giant slalom (Tessa Worley), were pinned on Alexis Pinturault, winner of three giant slaloms on the World Cup circuit this season.

Pinturault fades to seventh

Sitting primed in third place after the first run, Pinturault faded badly on the second, timing only the 21st fastest descent to eventually finish a disappointing seventh, 0.98sec off Hirscher's pace.

"It's been a bad champs for me, very bad," said Pinturault, who was nonetheless a gold medal winner in the team event. Even Hirscher described his performance in the giant slalom as "unexpected".

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And Austrian Philipp Schoerghofer, who sat in second after an impressive first leg, also faded, one mistake seeing him finish fifth behind the two Norwegians.

It was the third individual title for the 27-year-old Hirscher, who won the slalom in 2013 and combined in 2015, as well as picking up two team golds in those world champs.

The second leg of the giant slalom had been delayed after the wing of a Swiss Air Force exhibition fly-by plane clipped a cable that caused a camera to fall 50 metres to the ground, landing in the finish area of the Corviglia course, just metres from the spectator tribunes, but without injuring anyone.

Robert Willi, head of operations for regional police, said the accident had incurred 250,000 euros worth of damages for the Swiss host broadcaster.

While the incident occurred between runs, with no racers in the immediate area, it was reminiscent of the crash of a malfunctioning drone in a World Cup race in Italy in December 2015 that narrowly missed Hirscher.

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The Austrian had dubbed the crash of the drone "shameful", but also revealed he had no idea at the time what had happened, believing an official charged with flattening out the piste after a competitor's run had hit the ground.

The crash left many on the World Cup circuit convinced that drones have no place flying over a skiing race. Fixed-line "travelling" cameras are commonplace, however, and are also widely used in sports such as athletics, football and rugby.

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