Skiing: Frenchman Clément Noël wins first slalom of the winter in Levi

Clément Noël déjà en forme. COMPIC – Kimmo Brandt

Le Français s’est imposé en Finlande après deux manches maîtrisées, dimanche 17 novembre.

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French skier Clément Noël won the first slalom of the World Cup ski season on Sunday in Levi (Finland), securing his 11th victory on the circuit and his first since January 2023. The French Olympic champion finished ahead of Norwegian world champion Henrik Kristoffersen (+ 80 hundredths of a second) and Swiss skier Loïc Meillard (+ 95/100).

“It was a tough fight and I'm very happy with my second run. I knew Henrik had set the bar high and so I gave it my all because I knew it would be close”, he reacted to the microphone of the International Ski Federation. At 27, Clément Noël is tasting the victory that had eluded him all last season even though he had often been in the running with four podiums. “Last season wasn't that bad, I just missed out on victory, often by a small margin. I did a good preparation which gave me confidence and I skied very well in recent weeks so I'm happy that it showed today”, added the skier from Val d'Isère.

Steven Amiez 6th

On Sunday, in the light of the floodlights of the small Lapland resort beyond the Arctic Circle, he built his victory with a superb first run despite a “not an exceptional feeling”, which gave him the best time. A leading position that he had already experienced in Levi in ​​2019, before giving up in the second run to take second place. This time, he remained the strongest until the end, avoiding mistakes in the second run to resist Kristoffersen, who was masterful on the second track, where he set the best time.

Third at the end of the first run, the other Frenchman, Steven Amiez, finally finished in 6th place, 1.46 seconds behind Clément Noël. The Men's Ski World Cup continues on November 24 with a new slalom, in Gurgl, Austria.