Intro:

Italy's Stefano Gross wins FIS World Cup slalom in Adelboden on Sunday (11th January).

Script:

The Skiing World Cup continued on Sunday with the Swiss town of Adelboden hosting a slalom stage.

Italian Stefano Gross came into the event having never won a World Cup stage.

Gross's best results saw three podium finishes back in 2012 and an agonising fourth in the slalom at last year's Sochi Olympics.

And it was the Italian who posted the best final time after his second run. Gross with a combined time of one minute, 56.70 seconds.

Despite Gross leading the standings, he would have to watch as two of the top three in the slalom standings were still to come down the run.

One of those was the overall leader, Marcel Hirscher, the Austrian having already won two slalom events this season was chasing down Gross and at the last check points was just 0.02 of a second off his lead.

Yet Hirscher would finish 0.03 off Gross's time and in second place.

The one remaining man who could stop Gross from his inaugural World Cup victory was the German, Fritz Dopfer.

The German had plenty of pedigree to scupper the day and look on course as he crossed the line.

Dopfter was just 0.02 off the leading time and left him in second.

And this first World Cup win, quite clearly delighted the Italian Stefan Gross.

This certainly a day the Italian will never forget.