A slalom thriller in Madonna di Campiglio
Dec 23, 2021·Alpine Skiing
Under the lights in Madonna di Campiglio (ITA) a slalom drama played out leaving everyone stunned and adding to the storied history of the pre-Crhistmas venue.
Norwegian Sebastian Foss-Solevaag came away with his third career World Cup victory, edging Alexis Pinturault (FRA) and Swede Kristoffer Jakobsen by a mere 0.10 and 0.11 seconds, respectively. That close of a race would have been enough to keep everyone on the edge of their seats.
But it was the final seconds of the evening that created the buzz. Leading after the first run by half a second and dominating the second run in every split, Clement Noel (FRA) looked poised to cruise to the victory. But with the finish line just meters away, Noel missed the second to last gate, leaving him sprawling and empty handed on the day.
The mistake was a blow for Noel, who has enjoyed a strong start to the very young slalom season, picking up the victory in Val d’Isere.
On the other end of spectrum was Alexis Pinturault, who jumped up three positions after the first run, ending in second place. It was a positive finish for the defending Overall World Cup winner, who hasn’t had the strongest start to the season, but now looks to be back on track.
The men’s tech athletes will enjoy a longer Christmas break before a packed program begins in January with all the Classics lined up for a hectic month leading up to the Olympic Winter Games.
The Audi FIS men’s World Cup tour will return to action shortly after the Christmas break as the speed athletes head to Bormio (ITA) for the next race, a downhill, on December 28th.
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