KRANJSKA GORA, Slovenia — The world of Alpine skiing witnessed an exciting race on Sunday when Loic Meillard from Switzerland delivered the quickest time in the opening run of the slalom event at the World Cup, marking the sport’s return after the Alpine skiing world championships.
Meillard narrowly edged out Norwegian skier Timon Haugan by a mere 0.05 seconds. Following closely behind, Tanguy Nef and Atle Lie McGrath also performed convincingly, both finishing within three-tenths of a second from Meillard’s time. Remarkably, the top four positions were dominated by skiers from Switzerland and Norway.
This season, Meillard has consistently demonstrated his skill in the slalom discipline, achieving four podium finishes. His record includes a World Cup victory achieved last year in Aspen, Colorado.
Olympic gold medalist Clement Noel found himself 0.40 seconds behind, placing fifth. Despite having secured four wins this season, the French skier still lags slightly behind the discipline leader, Henrik Kristoffersen, by three points.
Kristoffersen, known for his prowess, secured sixth place along with Manuel Feller of Austria, the reigning World Cup slalom champion. Both athletes were 0.62 seconds behind Meillard, requiring an impressive comeback in the second run later in the day.
However, Lucas Pinheiro Braathen faced disappointment after failing to finish due to straddling a gate. This incident occurred just a day after he almost achieved what could have been Brazil’s inaugural World Cup victory by claiming second place in the giant slalom.
