Aurélie Sacchelli, Media365, published on Sunday November 17, 2024 at 1:59 p.m.
Frenchman Clément Noël won the first slalom of the World Cup season, in Levi in Finland, relegating all his competitors to more than eight tenths. His compatriot Steven Amiez, third in the first round, finally finished sixth.
“I have bigger ambitions” affirmed Clément Noël in the columns of The Team this Sunday, referring to his past season with four podiums but without a victory. The Vosges skier walked his words by winning the first slalom of the season, on the night of Levi, in Lapland (Finland). Winner of the first round, the French Olympic champion did not tremble when closing the starting gate. On a track made difficult by the passage of the 29 previous competitors, in fog and a temperature of -3°C, Clément Noël set off with a second and a hundredth ahead of the one sitting down on the seat leader, Henrik Kristoffersenauthor of a huge second round even though he only finished eleventh in the first. At the first intermediate crossing point, the Frenchman had only lost a hundredth on the Norwegian, then he took 21 from him at the second point and only had to continue until the end, without making any big mistakes. error. Mission accomplished for the 27-year-old skier, who won in the end with a lead of 80 hundredths!
See you next Sunday in Gurgl
This is the eleventh victory of Clément Noël's career, the first in 22 months and his success in Schladming! The French skier, who dreams of the small globe of slalom (the title holder, Manuel Feller, gave up this Sunday), undoubtedly the most open ski discipline currently, will put on the leader's bib next Sunday, during the slalom of Gurgl in Austria. The podium is completed by Kristoffersen, the new leader of the general classification of the World Cup, and by Loïc Meillard, who finished the first round two hundredths from Christmas but was not able to compete during the second run. Disappointment also for the third in the first round, the Frenchman Steven Amiez, who finished sixth, 1”46 behind his compatriot. The son of the winner of the 1996 Slalom World Cup, however, equals his best result. Last season, the French men's team had to wait until December 28 (and the success of Cyprien Sarrazin in Bormio) to achieve their first victory. This time, the counter is unlocked in November, this is a season well underway!
WORLD CUP (M) / LEVI SLALOM (FINLAND)
Final ranking – Sunday November 17, 2024
1- Clément Noël (FRA) in 1'53″98
2- Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) à 0″80
3- Loïc Meillard (SUI) at 0″95
4- Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRE) at 1″05
5- Tanguy Nef (SUI) at 1”36
6- Steven Amiez (FRA) at 1”46
7- Linus Strasser (ALL) at 1”56
8- Alexander Steen Olsen (NOR) à 1″65
9- Samuel Kolega (CRO) at 1”77
10- Filip Zubcic (CRO) at 1″78
Abandons : Adrian Meisen (ALL), Fabian Ax Swartz (SUE), Manuel Feller (AUT)
