'It's a dream': Meillard wins weekend double to keep Slalom title hopes alive
Mar 16, 2025·Alpine Skiing
An impressive late-season charge by Loic Meillard (SUI/Rossignol) has yielded not only two wins in 24 hours, but it also takes the chase for the 2024/25 Slalom Crystal Globe all the way to the Audi FIS World Cup Finals.
Meillard won the Slalom in Hafjell on Sunday to complete the weekend double after Saturday's Giant Slalom victory, continuing a recent surge that includes winning the Slalom world championships gold medal last month.
Leading after the first run, Meillard held his nerve after a mistake early in his second run to triumph over Atle Lie McGrath (NOR/Head, +0.21s) and Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA/Atomic, +0.47s).
"It's a dream for a tech skiers to win both days, GS and Slalom, and for it to happen this weekend, it's pretty amazing," Meillard said.
With Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR/Van Deer) finishing fifth and Clement Noel (FRA/Dynastar) in seventh, Meillard leapfrogged the Frenchman in the standings and moved to within 47 points of the Norwegian with one race to go.
"It's still a big gap, so he (Kristoffersen) has to fail a little bit and I have to do something pretty special like today," Meillard said. "It's going to be a nice fight until the end."
Meillard's first Slalom win of the World Cup season continued his run of finishing in the top five in all Slalom races he has completed this campaign, with only two DNFs staining an otherwise consistent season.
"My Slalom form has been pretty good," he said. "It's been a great season in Slalom and just try to keep it rolling, one more race to go."
Pretty good was an understatement on Sunday, as Meillard skied a spectacular first run, overcoming windy conditions on the steep pitch to take the lead and leave globe rivals Kristoffersen and Noel in his wake.
In the second run, the Swiss allrounder made an early mistake that cost him 0.40 seconds in the second sector, but he regained his composure to retain the green light all the way and take the win from home favourite McGrath.
By pushing the Norwegian off the top step of the podium, Meillard gained a measure of revenge from the Wengen Slalom in January, when McGrath led a Norwegian 1-2-3 and consigned the Swiss to positions 4-5-6 at home.
"They had it in Wengen, three Norwegians in front of three Swiss guys, so it was important to keep it on our side this weekend," Meillard said.
While McGrath just missed the victory, he moved up four spots with a dominant second run, flying home in the closeout to take the provisional lead and send the Norwegian crowd into raptures.
"First run I skied more stable, second run I felt like I got more after it," McGrath said of his first World Cup Slalom race on his home hill.
"Skiing on home snow was so much different than I thought," he admitted. "It was more nerves and then also a lot cooler, so I'm very fortunate to be able to put down such a good result."
Joining McGrath on the podium was another local and his childhood friend Pinheiro Braathen, the former Norwegian skier who now represents Brazil.
As the second-last skier on the mountain in the second run, Pinheiro Braathen led his ex-teammate through three-quarters of the course, but some small mistakes coming into the flat closeout cost him and he dropped one spot.
"I thought I had it today," Pinheiro Braathen admitted. "I thought today was going to be the day where Brazil takes home a first World Cup victory."
Far from being bitter at the outcome, however, the Brazilian celebrated his podium and reflected on his journey that began on this slope as a child.
"I don't know if I could ever put a number to the amount of runs that I've skied on this very hill — so much of my foundation as a skier is laid here on this very soil," he said.
"This is one of those days where you get to live the peak. There are many shitty days and many tough days underneath the success like today, but that's exactly why it tastes so sweet.
"It goes without saying the fact that I get to share that with my friend Atle, quite frankly, it's incredible. I'm beyond proud of what I've been able to accomplish."
The Brazilian's third podium of the season lifted him to sixth in the Slalom standings, but only Meillard and Noel can unseat Kristoffersen in the final Slalom race of the season on 27 March in Sun Valley, Idaho, USA.
Coming off his double victory in Hafjell, Meillard was hedging his bets as to whether he had enough energy for a final push for the globe.
"At the moment, yes — we'll see with jetlag how it goes," he said.
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