Clément Noël navigated through challenging foggy conditions to clinch victory in a World Cup slalom race held in Adelboden, Switzerland, on Saturday, narrowly preventing Brazil from celebrating its first triumph by a mere 0.02 seconds.

The reigning Olympic champion improved from a third-place position after the initial run to secure his third victory of the season, finishing ahead of Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who, despite being born in Norway, now races for Brazil, his mother’s homeland.

In third place was Henrik Kristoffersen, a former teammate of Braathen, finishing 0.14 seconds behind Noël. Kristoffersen currently leads the slalom standings, distancing himself from his French competitor.

Manuel Feller, who topped the first run, unfortunately lost his lead and skied out on the steep final slopes. For Feller, this incident marked the fourth time in the current season that he has failed to finish a slalom event while attempting to defend his World Cup title.

Braathen achieved a significant milestone for Brazil by matching the nation’s best performance in World Cup skiing, which included a second-place finish in a giant slalom event last month at Beaver Creek, Colorado.

The racing conditions throughout the day on the Chuenisbaergli hill were harsh. Morning snowfall impacted the performance of later starters, while thick fog obscured visibility for racers during segments of the afternoon’s second run.

Due to the challenging weather and visibility concerns, the slalom that was originally scheduled for Sunday was moved to Saturday, while the classic Adelboden giant slalom — a staple of the men’s World Cup circuit since its inception in January 1967 — will now take place on Sunday.

Swiss skier Marco Odermatt, who is leading both the overall World Cup and the giant slalom standings but does not participate in slalom events, is expected to be the favorite to secure his fourth consecutive win in an event that holds great significance for his home country of Switzerland.