Contents
Loïc Meillard wins the slalom in Aspen in a superior manner ahead of Linus Strasser and Henrik Kristoffersen.
The podium
- 1. Loïc Meillard (SUI) 1:42.73 minutes
- 2. Linus Strasser (GER) +0.89 seconds
- 3. Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) +1.17 seconds
Perfect end to a fantastic Swiss racing weekend in Aspen. Loïc Meillard has won his first World Cup slalom after winning Marco Odermatt’s double victory in the giant slalom On Friday and Saturday, as 2nd place each, we narrowly missed out.
Meillard showed 2 strong runs from top to bottom. In the first round, the 27-year-old from Valais narrowly lost out to Clément Noël. Because the Frenchman started relatively early in the second run, Meillard’s first World Cup victory in over a year (giant slalom in Schladming) was in the clear. Previously, the Swiss Linus Strasser had lost almost 9 tenths and thus made a clear announcement.
Already in the first run, Meillard – together with Noël – was in a league of his own. 27 hundredths separated the two, third-placed Henrik Kristoffersen from Norway was already 8 tenths behind.
No decision about a small crystal ball
There was still no decision in the fight for the small crystal ball. The current leader in the slalom, Manuel Feller, would have needed a win for this. The four-time season winner was already tied back after the first round in 9th place and a gap of 1.55 seconds. In the second run, unsurprisingly, there was also a certain amount of safety. In the end, the Austrian still managed a solid 5th place.
Feller’s closest competitor for the slalom ball, Linus Strasser, improved by 4 places to 2nd place. The German thus shortened the gap by 35 points to 169 points with two races remaining.
The other Swiss in the points
- 11. Marc Rochat +1.78 seconds
- 14. Luca Aerni +2.05 seconds
- 28. Daniel Yule +4.32 seconds
With Marc Rochat and Luca Aerni, two other Swiss Ski athletes scored World Cup points. Both were able to improve by one place each. Rochat missed a top 10 result by just 5 hundredths. Daniel Yule, who was in intermediate position 7 after the first run and therefore the second hottest Swiss horse, lost a lot of time in the decision after a serious mistake.
This is how it continues
Before the World Cup final in Saalbach (AUT), where four competitions are on the program, the technicians are still required in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. A giant slalom will be held there next Saturday, followed by a slalom the following day.