Wengen – The gentlemen’s slalom, 1st run – Kristoffersen in the lead, Noël on the lookout, Pinturault already too far

We expected Clément Noël but it was another double winner from Wengen, slalom-kristoffersen-makes-a-mistake-braathen-wins-by-recovering-28-positions/” title=”Alpine skiing, World Cup – Razzoli 3rd in Wengen slalom, Kristoffersen makes a mistake, Braathen wins by recovering 28 positions”>Henrik Kristoffersen, who dominated the first round of the Sunday slalom in Switzerland. Starting with bib 1, the Norwegian has rediscovered the intensity of his best hours in the discipline to make the difference at the top of the track. The winner of the small globe in 2016 and 2020 beat the Austrian Manuel Feller (+ 0”11) and the Norwegian Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (+ 0”58) and will close the starting gate at the start of the afternoon. to try to achieve his first success in slalom from Chamonix, in January 2021.

On a track which quickly became lustrous but which ultimately surprised only a few skiers in the world’s top 30 (just 2 outings), starting in front was even more important and this is reflected in the standings since the first six bibs finished to the first six places in the heat. And it is Kristoffersen who came out of it the best and who is therefore in a perfect position to finally find the way to success in slalom.

Reassuring Christmas, Pinturault inside

But the Norwegian doesn’t have much room over Feller. Incandescent lately, the Austrian has released another round of fire, especially on the flat top, to come on par with Kristoffersen (+ 0”11). But he was the only one to be less than half a second behind the Norwegian. Even the leader of the World Cup in the discipline, his compatriot Sebastian Foss-Solevaag, conceded more (+ 0”58), despite his 3rd place in the round.

In search of confidence after his two recent outings, the Frenchman Clément Noël did not take all the risks. We did not recognize the Vosges, much more timid in his intentions than what he is used to producing, but he placed himself since he occupies 4th place (+ 0”62), tied with the Switzerland Zenhausern This first round, however designed by the tricolor coach, smiled much less on Alexis Pinturault, who got the rhythm wrong and finished very far (18th, + 1”42).