Skiing: Third success for Frenchman Clément Noël, victorious in the Adelboden slalom

Nouveau succès pour le slalomeur français Clément Noël. KEYSTONE – JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

The Frenchman won in Switzerland this Saturday, January 11, his third victory of the season, and the first since his return from injury.

Frenchman Clément Noël won the Adelboden slalom in Switzerland on Saturday, his third World Cup victory of the season and his first since spraining his right ankle in December.

3rd in the first run

Third fastest in the first round, the Olympic champion in the discipline snatched victory by 2/100ths from the Brazilian Lucas Braathen, while the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen completed the podium 14/100ths behind.

“I'm very happy to win here, where I made my first podium… It's a legendary place, with an incredible atmosphere”, the 27-year-old Vosgien rejoiced on Eurosport.

By winning the 13th success of his career on the world circuit, Noël is back in the race for the globe in the discipline, moving up to provisional 2nd place, 35 points behind Kristoffersen. He also overcame his disappointment at Madonna di Campiglio, where he went out on Wednesday evening after a few gates in the first round, lacking rhythm after spending the last few weeks treating his ankle.

Clément Noël had fallen heavily in mid-December during the giant trophy at Val d'Isère, a clear setback after a perfect start to the season which had seen him win the Levi and Gurgl events in quick succession.

On the French side, Steven Amiez took sixth place, 1.36 seconds behind Noël, and Victor Muffat-Jeandet, 28th fastest in the first round, set the best time in the second to propel himself to 11th place. This is his best slalom result in more than three years (9th in Madonna di Campiglio in December 2021), just before the fractured fibula that deprived him of the 2022 Beijing Olympics.