He believed in it until the end. When Atle Lie McGrath started last from the starting gate of the second round of the slalom in Wengen, Tanguy Nef was still on the third step of a World Cup podium which he is still chasing, at 28 years old. Standing in the finish area, eyes glued to the giant screen, the Genevan was supported by Loïc Meillard. His leader took him by the shoulder and said a few words to him. But McGrath did not tremble, completing the Norwegian hat-trick with Timon Haugan and Henrik Kristoffersen.
“The podium is getting closer, I only missed 4 hundredths of a second. I believed it for a moment but it was a good, regular race. The Norwegians were better. I was fighting against a certain Henrik Kristoffersen. He was still pretty good here so we accept, said Nef, more satisfied than frustrated. I can be proud of myself, I produced good skiing, like in Adelboden. Maybe I would bite my fingers at the end of winter when I told myself that I was 4 hundredths away from a podium at home. But 4th is already good. You know, we get a little too used to Swiss-Ski podiums.”
If he continues his momentum, having finished 5th in Levi and 8th in Adelboden, there is every reason to think that this podium will eventually fall. Last weekend, Nef told us that he had little to envy of Meillard and that he felt in his place in the top 10. He moved from words to action. “During McGrath’s passage, Loïc congratulated me. He was happy for me and would have liked me to get on the box. I told him that I had looked at his sleeve three times, specifies the Genevan. My plan was simple: copy it. As I often did in training this summer, as my coach told me. And it worked well.”
Author of a very good comeback (5th) after a first round where he was off the pace (24th), Loïc Meillard, second in the specialty ranking behind Kristoffersen, is a model for Nef. And he intends to continue to draw inspiration from it, as Kitzbühel, Schladming and the World Championships in Saalbach loom. “Tanguy, it’s no longer a surprise for us,” reacted Daniel Yule, excellent 6th. In training, he is always very fast and this winter, he has made a lot of progress in the consistency and security he has in his skiing. And it’s starting to pay off in competition.”
