The Valaisanno-neuchâtelois had given his supporters a fright, after his package for the opening giant of Sölden. Meillard swept away doubts on Sunday, achieving a high-flying slalom, no doubt inspired by the excellent 7th place of his sister Mélanie the day before. Good 2nd in the morning, he however did not manage to resist the crazy comeback of Henrik Kristoffersen (2nd at 0''80) and Clément Noël, who crushed the competition and took him almost a second (0' '95). Normal, with such a surname in Lapland.
Tanguy Nef, for his part, found a place in the top 10 in a World Cup race for the first time since January 2022. The Genevan, good 6th on the first route, was unable to do anything in the face of the return of the stars Kristoffersen and Lucas Pinheiro Braathen. But his good performance at the start of the afternoon allowed him to beat three skiers, finish 5th at 1''36 and thus beat his best career results, achieved at Madonna di Campiglio and Adelboden in January 2020 and 2021!
The day was, however, frustrating for the other Swiss in the running. The Valaisan Daniel Yule completed two very average rounds and will have to settle for a sad 22nd place more than two and a half seconds behind, far from his ambitions. The skier from La Fouly lost a lot of time each time on the wall of the course. It was a bit the same for Haut-Valaisan Ramon Zenhäusern, in difficulty on the steep slope and ultimately 20th at 2”62.
Vaudois Marc Rochat experienced grip problems on the Finnish track and had already left a lot of time on the way, before being eliminated at the end of the first round. Luca Aerni and Reto Mächler also did not make the cut. Disappointment also for the “Dutch” returnee Marcel Hirscher. The eight-time winner of the big crystal globe could not do better than 46th out of 50 ranked.
This Finnish slalom was the occasion for a first in the discipline. Estonian Tormis Laine became the first skier from his country to score points in the World Cup. The 24-year-old Baltic, born in the capital Tallinn, has participated twice in the Winter Olympics in 2018 and 2022. However, he had never taken part in a second round at the highest global level, since his debut in November 2010. It's done, with a 27th place, more than 5 seconds from Christmas.
