Noel wins season-opening slalom in Levi as Hirscher struggles

PARIS: Olympic champion Clement Noel won the first slalom of the World Cup season in Levi, Finland on Sunday but former champion Marcel Hirscher finished well off the pace in his return to the discipline.

Leading after the first run, Noel crossed the line second time round in 54.31 seconds to record a total of 1min 53.98sec as he claimed his 11th victory at the circuit and first since January 2023.

Norway´s Henrik Kristoffersen finished 0.80sec off the Frenchman in second place, with Loic Meillard of Switzerland completing the podium a further 0.15sec behind.

“It was a hard fight and I´m very happy with my second run. I knew that Henrik (Kristoffersen) had set the bar high and so I gave it my all because I knew it was going to be close,” Noel told the International Ski Federation. However, the event did not go so well for Hirscher, back on the circuit at the age of 35 after five years in retirement.

The former Austrian skier, who is now racing in the Dutch jersey, has 32 World Cup slalom wins to his name as well as six discipline globes and two world championships.

He finished 23rd in his return in the giant slalom in Soelden three weeks ago but struggled to impose himself in Levi.

His first run of 1min 02.26sec was a massive 2.59sec behind Noel. It took him to 46th place, which was not good enough to book him a place in the second run.

Steven Amiez, who was third after the first run, was 01.46sec off the pace in the second run and had to settle for sixth overall.