Lucas Braathen completed an astonishing comeback and won men's slalom title in the Alpine Ski World Cup in Wengen, Switzerland on Sunday, less than three weeks before the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics. 

The 21-year-old Norwegian, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last year, had a disastrous first run in the final, finishing only 29th among the top 30 racers who advanced to the next round. However, an incredibly brilliant second run and a huge slice of luck saw him emerge triumphant in one of the most unlikely victories of the tournament. 

Austrian veteran Christian Hirschbuhl, Italian talent Alex Vinatzer, 2017 World Championships gold medalist Luca Aerni of Switzerland, and Braathen's compatriot Henrik Kristoffersen all crashed out due to various reasons in the second run, clearing the path for Braathen to finish first at the Swiss resort of Wengen. 

"Words cannot describe how grateful I am," said an emotional Braathen after the race. "After my mistake in the first run I was eager to redeem myself in the second." 

Spurred on by the home support, Switzerland's Daniel Yule finished second and 37-year-old Italian Giuliano Razzoli, who won the event in 2010 Winter Olympics, completed the podium with his best result in six years.

Meanwhile, COVID-19 pandemic is causing havoc to the Swedish cross-country skiing team's plans for the Beijing Olympics. The Swedish Ski Association announced on Sunday that they have been forced to relocate a training camp due to virus concerns. 

"We chose to look for new, safer accommodation and found a very good alternative in Livigno," said national team manager Anders Bystrom. "In these times, a good organization must be able to be flexible and, in this case, thanks to quick and careful work, we were able to find an even better alternative than the one we first chose for our Olympic camp."

"We also bring our own chefs with us, which means that we can create safe meals. Now the last pieces of the puzzle are in place before the start of the camp. A pre-camp where there is now a chance for the last small adjustments and preparations for the Olympics in Beijing," he added.