Austria’s Marcel Hirscher speeds down the course during the first run of an alpine ski, men’s World Cup giant slalom, in Schladming, Austria on Saturday. Hirscher finished first. (Alessandro Trovati/Associated Press)

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Marcel Hirscher overcame the pressure of immense expections from a ski-mad nation to earn Austria its first overall World Cup title since 2006.

Hirscher won Saturday’s final giant slalom of the season to take the discipline title and go top of the overall standings.

Hirscher holds a 25-point lead over speed specialist Beat Feuz of Switzerland, who announced he won’t start in Sunday’s slalom, the final race of the season.

“It’s all very emotional for me,” Hirscher said. “Nearly everybody in Austria is waiting for miracles, expects me to win races and globes. That’s pretty tough for me. It has put a lot of pressure on my shoulders.”

Hirscher is the fifth Austrian to win the overall title and the first since Benjamin Raich in 2006. Franz Klammer, Hermann Maier and Stephen Eberharter have also won the big crystal globe.

Hirscher takes the title from Ivica Kostelic of Croatia, who looked well on his way to successfully defending it until he needed surgery after picking up a right knee injury in the Sochi downhill in February.

Hirscher said he was “not going to jump for joy” until he got official confirmation that Feuz is skipping the final race.

However, it seems unlikely that Feuz will change his mind as the Swiss skier has never scored a World Cup point in slalom and would now need a top-10 finish with Hirscher failing to score points in order to turn things around.

“This was my last race of the season,” Feuz said after coming 21st in the GS. “I’ve given everything I had but it was not enough.”

Winning the overall and GS titles, as well as a possible slalom title on Sunday, have turned Hirscher’s season into an unexpected success.

The 23-year-old saw his off-season preparations hampered after breaking a bone in his left foot. He started the season with moderate expectations, but got stronger as it went on.

He won nine races and became the frontrunner of a revived Austrian “Wunderteam,” which also claimed the downhill title, won by Klaus Kroell.

“I don’t get it, unbelievable,” Hirscher said. “I was well behind couple of times this season. I told myself that the race today was the same as a race in January to take the pressure off … It’s incredible how many emotions you feel when crossing the finish line and seeing that you are No. 1.”

Hirscher had already secured the GS title after the opening run, in which American rival Ted Ligety skied off-course.

“To know that I had won that globe was a relief,” Hirscher said. “It helped me to relax and have an attacking but clean second run.”

Ligety, who won three GS titles in the past four seasons, trailed Hirscher by 92 points and, with a victory worth 100 points, had to win the race to stand a chance of overtaking the Austrian.

Ligety led by 0.43 seconds at the final intermediate time but skied off-course. He hiked back up the hill to complete his run but finished 11.16 seconds off the lead.

“There was only one option today — winning or going home,” Ligety said. “I just wanted to get another win under my belt. I was going hard but that is what can happen when you’re charging. A bummer for sure and somewhat frustrating … I tried everything so I can’t blame myself.”

Ligety posted the fastest time in the second run but his deficit was too big and he finished 25th.

Ligety won two GS races and led the standings early in the season, but had since been playing catch-up with Hirscher. Ligety added a third victory last weekend in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, to retain his slim chance.

“With the season he’s had, he deserved to win the globe,” the American said of Hirscher. “For me it was a good year, it’s just that someone else was better.”

Hirscher won four GS races and nine events in total this season.

“What happened to Ted could have happened to me as well,” said Hirscher, who won the event in 2 minutes, 25.52 seconds to lead an Austrian sweep of the podium. It was an all-Austrian podium as Hannes Reichelt, who led after the first run, came 0.19 behind in second and Marcel Mathis was third, 0.55 behind.

Didier Cuche celebrated his retirement by wearing an outfit from the 1950s including a backpack and wooden skis. The Swiss standout slid down the hill at a slow pace and stopped several times to greet and hug officials and coaches along the course.

It took him 5 minutes, 44 seconds to complete his run. After crossing the finish line, Cuche showed his trademark ski flip for a last time, cheered on by thousands of fans in the Planai stadium.

Since his World Cup debut in 1998, Cuche competed in 358 World Cup races. He won 21 events and was the season’s downhill champion four times.

“Ski retiree sounds a bit weird but I will get used to it,” Cuche said. “I believe it was the right decision.”

Germany’s Arnd Peiffer, left, and France’s Martin Fourcade compete in the men’s 12.5 km pursuit event of the Biathlon Word Cup on Saturday. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP/Getty Images)

France’s Fourcade claims World Cup biathlon title

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — World champion Martin Fourcade of France claimed the World Cup biathlon overall title after winning the men’s pursuit race on Saturday Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

Fourcade missed one target and completed the 12.5-kilometre course in 34 minutes, 47.1 seconds. Arnd Peiffer of Germany, who also missed one target and had a penalty lap, was 19.6 seconds behind for second. Emil Hegle Svendsen of Norway missed twice and finished another 15.1 seconds behind.

Scott Perras was the top Canadian in 33rd place with a final time of 38:11.3. Fellow countrymen Nathan Smith and Jean-Philippe Le Guellec were 38th and 47th, respectively.

Fourcade, who won Friday’s sprint race, was leading the race before Peiffer overtook him with quick shooting on the second range. The Frenchman then missed his last target on the next shooting range and was 17.8 second behind Peiffer after completing the penalty lap. But Fourcade turned the race his way after the German missed at the last shooting and fell 23.8 second behind.

Right after crossing the finish line, Fourcade unfastened his skies and lifted them over his head in celebration.

It was the Frenchman’s eighth victory of the season, including three gold finishes at the world championships last week.

With one race left in the season, Fourcade leads the overall standings with 1090 points. Svendsen is second, 98 points behind.

Fourcade is only the second Frenchman to win the overall title since the World Cup was launched in the 1977-78 season. Rafael Poiree won his fourth title in 2004.

Fourcade also won the pursuit overall title over Svendsen.

The women’s 10-kilometre sprint race was to follow.

Mass-start races will wrap up the season-closing event on Sunday.

Canada’s Alex Harvey won the men’s classic prologue on Friday in Falun, Sweden. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP/Getty Images)

Harvey 1st, Kershaw 3rd in cross-country event

(PhatzRadio / CBC Sports) — Alex Harvey and Devon Kershaw made Canadian cross-country ski history Friday.

Harvey won the men’s prologue in the second stage of the cross-country World Cup finals with teammate Kershaw finishing third. It marked the first time ever two Canadians shared the podium in a World Cup cross-country ski event.

“I have had some great races this year, but also some real challenging ones too,” said Harvey. “I always believed in myself and believed I could win.”

Harvey, a native of St-Ferreol-les-Neiges, Que., finished the 3.3-kilometre men’s race in eight minutes 16.8 seconds for his first World Cup victory. He had captured silver and bronze medals earlier this season.

Harvey accomplished the career milestone win with his father, Pierre, looking on. In 1987, Pierre Harvey made Canadian nordic history by earning Canada’s first-ever World Cup win in Falun.

“It is such a special day for me to get my first individual victory on the same course where my dad’s first win was in 1987,” said the younger Harvey. “When I found out I won, I was so pumped.

“I ran over and hugged my dad and Devon who was also right there. The wax techs were all there and the whole team was so excited. It is so special.”

The elder Harvey couldn’t have agreed more.

“To see my son winning today is like a dream,” Pierre Harvey said. “For sure, it’s the best day to watch a ski race.

“I watch it usually on TV or on the Internet but to be here on the same spot that I was skiing so long ago, it’s like unbelievable.”

Switzerland’s Dario Cologna, already the overall World Cup winner, was second, 0.2 seconds behind. Kershaw, a 29-year-old skier from Sudbury, Ont., claimed the bronze, just 3.1 seconds behind Harvey. It was Kershaw’s fifth podium finish of the season, including two victories.

Kershaw’s third-place finish also cemented second in the overall World Cup standings behind Cologna. Harvey is sixth.

“To be second in the overall is crazy awesome and very hard for me to process right now with two races still to go,” said Kershaw. “I’m not sure how many skiers — cross-country or alpine — have ever been second overall in history.

“It was a goal of mine all year to finish in the top-three. I wanted to be top-three in the Tour de Ski and finishing fourth still stings, but that motivated me so much for the rest of the year for the overall on the World Cup. I won’t believe it until I see it officially in writing — but to finish second — this is big time.”

And Kershaw said there’s no doubt in his mind that a Canadian will one day capture the overall crown.

“Today, with Alex winning and me third a Canadian will win the overall World Cup globe,” he said. “It will happen at some point.

“For sure, I got beat by one of the greatest skiers in history of our sport. But, for sure, now more than ever before I believe a Canadian can win that elusive World Cup globe.”

Beckie Scott was the only other Canadian cross-country skier to finish in the top-three in the overall World Cup standings when she also finished second in 2006.

Notable Canadians

Toronto’s Len Valjas finished 21st in 8:34.0 to move into third overall at the midway point of the World Cup finals. Calgary’s Kevin Sandau was 45th in 8:55.8.

Norway’s Eirik Brandsal leads the event, 3.4 seconds ahead of Harvey. Kershaw is 11th, 23.2 seconds behind.

The 15-kilometre classic mass start event is scheduled for Saturday.

The Canadian team has captured 12 World Cup medals this season, surpassing its goal of 10 set at the beginning of the season.

Three-time Olympic champion Marit Bjoergen of Norway won the women’s 2.5-kilometre classic prologue for her second consecutive win in the event.

Bjoergen, winner of the opening Royal Palace Sprint in central Stockholm two days ago, climbed the infamous “Mordarbacken” (Murder Hill) to finish in 6:54.4.

Sweden’s Charlotte Kalla was second, 6.2 seconds behind. Norwegian Marthe Kristoffersen was third, 11.4 behind Bjoergen.

Daria Gaiazova of Banff, Alta., was the top Canadian, finishing 27th 7:27.5. Chandra Crawford, of Canmore, Alta., was 45th in 7:43.1 while Alysson Marshall, of Salmon Arm, B.C., finished 49th in 8:07.2.

Bjoergen leads second-place Kalla in the event by 21.5 seconds. The Norwegian also extended her overall World Cup lead to 170 points over Poland’s Justyna Kowalczyk, the only other skier still in contention her for the title.

Kowalczyk, overall winner for the last three seasons, lies in fourth place, 46.5 seconds behind Bjoergen.

“I had a very good feeling from the start,” said Bjoergen. “I went fast up Mordarbacken and then I knew I could take some seconds also in the downhill section.

“After two stages I am where I wanted to be. I have many seconds on Justyna Kowalczyk, it can be that Charlotte and I will be competing for the World Cup Final victory. But it’s classic tomorrow and it will be important to have good skis.”