GURGL, Austria – Olympic champion Clement Noel exhibited remarkable skill during the initial run of the men’s World Cup slalom on Sunday, positioning himself for his second consecutive victory in just two weeks.
The French skier executed a perfect descent down the challenging Kirchenkar course, establishing a substantial lead of over 0.8 seconds, while many competitors faced difficulties navigating the icy and steep terrain.
Atle Lie McGrath from Norway finished his run trailing by 0.88 seconds, followed closely by Noel’s fellow French competitor Steven Amiez, who was just 0.94 seconds behind, making them the only skiers to finish within a second of Noel’s time.
Noel expressed that he found the conditions challenging, commenting, “The feeling was tough, the snow is very icy.” He claimed his 11th World Cup victory at the season opening in Finland the previous week, marking his first win in 22 months.
World champion Henrik Kristoffersen will need to overcome a 1.76-second deficit in the second run planned for later Sunday. German skier Linus Strasser, who triumphed in the classic races of Kitzbuehel and Schladming last season, unfortunately fell outside the top 30 and did not qualify for the subsequent round.
The reigning Slalom World Cup champion, Manuel Feller, showed promise as one of the quicker starters on the course. However, he straddled a gate shortly after the first split time, repeating a pattern from the previous week where he also failed to complete the race.
Feller had previously led an Austrian podium sweep in Gurgl last year and consistently finished within the top five in each slalom, helping him capture the discipline title.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the former slalom season champion, along with renowned Austrian skier Marcel Hirscher, also straddled a gate during their runs. Braathen returned to the circuit this season after a one-year hiatus and has recorded two fourth-place finishes following a switch from the Norwegian federation to the Brazilian team.
Hirscher, who is celebrated as an eight-time overall champion and a six-time winner of the slalom globe, made a comeback this season after five years of retirement, now representing the Netherlands. Unfortunately, he finished his initial run last week too far behind to advance.