Flachau (Austria) (AFP)

Clément Noël climbed on his first podium of the winter on Saturday during the slalom in Flachau (Austria), finishing 2nd behind the Austrian Manuel Feller, after a frustrating start to the season, while Alexis Pinturault reacted well after a first round disappointing (9th final).

The Austrian Manuel Feller won the first victory of his career ahead of Noël (at 43 / 100th) and his compatriot Marco Schwarz (at 70 / 100th).

Large flakes swirl and fall so slowly over Flachau station that they give the impression of being inside a snow globe shaken by a fascinated child.

The Austrian Manuel Feller had also alienated part of the country, crazy about alpine skiing, this week qualifying the Hermann Maier slope (the legendary skier grew up here) as a "kindergarten" (" Märchenwiese ", literally fairytale lawn), not steep enough and too easy for him.

This electric and once irregular skier made up for it by assuming the pressure with the first victory of his career, at age 28, after six podiums, including five in slaloms.

"I did not want to miss me again (...) it is a day that I will never forget", rejoiced the Austrian.

He took the opportunity to take the lead in the specialty standings for one point ahead of his compatriot Marco Schwarz, 3rd for his 4th podium of the winter.

The Austrians are in good shape in the discipline, where they placed eight skiers (out of 30) in the second round on Saturday.

- "I had to reassure myself" -

Feller is the fifth different winner in five World Cup slaloms.

Clément Noël, three successes last winter, would like to be next on Sunday, still in Flachau, which recovered the slaloms of Wengen and Kitzbühel, where many cases of Covid-19 have been detected in recent days.

The Frenchman finally showed his true level over a whole race and started his winter with a first podium (5th at best so far) and broke his poor run of second heats.

Best time on the first track for the 3rd time in three races in 2021 (after Zagreb, 7th final, and Adelboden, 8th final), this time he secured a good second lap (9th time) to fail behind only Feller, devilish in 2nd round.

"It feels good to be on the podium. Until then, after all my races I was frustrated and unhappy with my performance, it was heavy not to be satisfied with yourself, explained Noël in the mixed zone. I did two good runs, not a lot of faults, clean skiing, I think I can go a little faster. I had to be reassured. It allows me to look to the future more calmly. "

Alexis Pinturault made a good comeback in the 2nd round (11 places gained thanks to the 4th fastest time) to take 9th place in the final just a few kilometers from "home" in Altenmarkt, where he spends his winters, and reassure himself after two slaloms middle (18th and 17th).

"The track was not that simple, very icy, even glossy. My second run is pretty good, on the first I was too nice. With these conditions if you are not on the attack it quickly makes the difference, he said in a mixed zone. I hope to use today to build for tomorrow ".

The 29 points gained allow him to increase his lead in the general classification over the Norwegian defending champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (to 158 points) and the Swiss Marco Odermatt (to 217 points), two skiers who do not take the start of the slaloms. .

His Norwegian rival Henrik Kristoffersen, 6th overall, is entangled in an average season, with a new disappointment on Saturday (18th).

Victor Muffat-Jeandet took 13th place while Jean-Baptiste Grange, Julien Lizeroux and Théo Letitre failed to qualify in the second round.

© 2021 AFP