The day following an exceptional descent with two Frenchmen on the podium – Johan Clarey (2nd) and Blaise Giezendanner (3rd) -, the snowy track of Kitzbühel, in Austria, did not smile on the Habs this Saturday. Second in the provisional classification following the first run of the slalom, bib number 1 Clément Noël made a mistake and had to settle for fifteenth place.
Big disappointment also for his compatriot Alexis Pinturault, seventh at the end of the first race, who straddled from the start of the course. The winner of the big crystal globe last spring has yet to win this season. In total, eleven skiers abandoned during the slalom carried out in particularly difficult conditions.
“I don’t know if we can dream of something bigger”
The surprise of the day is to be credited to Dave Ryding, the first Briton in history to win a World Cup event and the oldest winner of a slalom. “It’s chaos, I don’t know what to say. I’m 35, I never stopped believing, never stopped trying. The first victory for a skier from Great Britain, plus here in Kitzbühel, I don’t know if we can dream of something bigger! I can’t race at home, so living this atmosphere here is great,” said the skier following his victory.
A great performance for the one who started 8 tenths behind his competitors. The Norwegian Lucas Braathen took second place at 38 hundredths, ahead of his compatriot Henrik Kristoffersen (+0′65).
