In an unprecedented win, little-known Mario Matt from Austria came from behind and won the prestigious Hahnenkamm slalom, amazing the top contenders and everyone involved in the World Cup "White Circus." This was only his third World Cup race. Starting from the 47th position, the 20-year-old skier from St. Anton am Arlberg won by nearly a second. He also became the first Austrian to capture a slalom this season.

	Mario Matt

"I knew that I was skiing well after winning some Europacup races," said Matt, "but Kitzbühel is something else. After the first run, I remained cool and determined to try as hard as possible in the second run. It's the only way to progress."

Slovenia's Matjaz Vrhovnik, 3rd two weeks ago in Chamonix, took 2nd place, in front of Austria's sweetheart, Benjamin Raich. Raich, who suffered from the flu last week, was leading the first run. Kjetil Aamodt skied cautiously and finished 7th, conquering his second combined of the season as he continues chasing Hermann Maier's lead in the Overall World Cup standings.

Aamodt's teammate Ole-Kristian Furuseth was 4th, in front of Thomas Stangassinger, the winner here in 1994 and 1998. Japan's Kentora Minagawa also had a sensational day. He came in 6th, despite his high start number of 60. No US skiers were able to qualify for the second run. Sacha Gros and Bode Miller both missed the cut by only a few tenths of a second.

"It's crazy, I can't believe it, no one can believe it. I cannot yet understand what happened today. I would have been pleased with a 10th place...." — Austria's Matt Mario

A week ago, Mario Matt was fighting for his first place on a World Cup podium in Wengen when he skied out of the course in the second run. He was 17th in Chamonix, but felt ready for another good result in the demanding slalom at Kitzbühel, watched by thousands of spectators. Despite several mistakes in his first run, including a sit-down on the course, Mario clocked the second fastest time, only 22/100 of a second behind his teammate Benjamin Raich.

In the second run, on a skied-out course, it was an even greater challenge to come through all the gates. Yet, he skied even faster. Apparently, it was easier for him to master all the bumps and ruts than for his main rivals, who are all used to a smoother course. Matt was himself amazed at his win.

"It's crazy, I can't believe it, no one can believe it," he shouted after the race. "I cannot yet understand what happened today. I would have been pleased with a 10th place."

The 6'5" skier is very striking, with his brightly colored hair and long legs. He has impressive form in the gates, where his legs bring him all over the place. More than once he seemed ready to crash out of the course, yet each time he saved himself at the last second.

	Vrhovnik

For years, no racer could achieve a performance of this caliber with such a high start number. In December 1972, Italy's Piero Gros, Olympic Champion in 1976, won a slalom at Madonna di Campiglio, Italy, with bib number 42, a week after having celebrated his first victory in a giant slalom at Val d'Isère with bib number 45. He was only 18 at that time.

Matt, a silver medalist in combined and slalom at junior World Championships, completed a successful week for the dominant Austrian men's team in Kitzbühel after Hermann Maier and Fritz Strobl won the super G and the downhill, respectively. Norwegian Kjetil Andre Aamodt finished 1st in the combined, ahead of Sweden's Fredrik Nyberg and Maier.

It was also a good weekend for the French supplier of Salomon skis, which were used by both Strobl and Matt. Matt has been racing for several weeks now on his 1.76m skis. He began using these new, shorter carving skis long before many other slalom specialists and he had time to perfectly adjust his technique.

"I had an easier time than the others making the change to carvers. I did struggle a bit at the beginning but it was never really a problem," said Matt.

The next men's races will take place this coming weekend in Bavaria's Garmisch-Partenkirchen, where a downhill and a super G are scheduled.

— Manuéle Joyce, MountainZone.com World Cup Correspondent