ADELBODEN, Switzerland — Clément Noël navigated through challenging visibility to clinch a World Cup slalom race on Saturday, narrowly denying Brazil a historic victory by a mere 0.02 seconds.
The reigning Olympic champion rallied from third place after the initial run, securing his third win of the season and edging out Lucas Pinheiro Braathen. Braathen, who was born in Norway, now proudly represents Brazil, his mother’s homeland.
Finishing in third place was Henrik Kristoffersen, who trailed Noël by 0.14 seconds. He currently leads the overall slalom standings, holding a slight edge over his rival from France.
Meanwhile, Manuel Feller, who led after the first round, lost his advantage when he skied out on the steep descent. This marks Feller’s fourth failure to finish a slalom race this season as he attempts to defend his World Cup title.
Pinheiro Braathen’s second-place finish matched Brazil’s best performance in World Cup skiing, equaling his runner-up spot in a giant slalom event at Beaver Creek, Colorado, just a month prior.
The conditions at the Chuenisbaergli hill proved to be quite difficult throughout the day. Early steady snowfall hampered the later competitors, and during parts of the second run in the afternoon, thick fog made visibility nearly impossible for racers.
Originally set for Sunday, the slalom was moved a day earlier due to impending weather conditions that threatened to cancel the giant slalom event.
The long-standing Adelboden giant slalom, a staple on the men’s World Cup circuit since its inception in January 1967, was postponed to Sunday.
Marco Odermatt, who leads both the overall World Cup standings and the giant slalom category, has opted out of the slalom event but is anticipated to achieve a fourth consecutive victory in a race that holds significant importance for his Swiss homeland.
Since 2007, only one Swiss skier has emerged victorious in the Adelboden slalom, with 2020 champion Daniel Yule finishing 12th on Saturday, nearly two seconds behind Noël. The top Swiss performance belonged to Tanguy Nef, who placed eighth.
Loïc Meillard, a favorite among the local crowd and leader of the World Cup slalom standings, unfortunately did not complete the first run after straddling a gate.
Atle Lie McGrath, who was the runner-up at Adelboden for the past two years, also failed to finish the first round despite being positioned to clock the fastest time before skiing out.
Albert Popov, who recently secured Bulgaria’s first men’s skiing victory in 45 years at Madonna di Campiglio, experienced a setback this time, finishing 16th, trailing Noël by 2.31 seconds.
