Flachau (Austria) (AFP)

Alexis Pinturault, 3rd in the slalom of Flachau (Austria) on Sunday, stands out in the general classification of the Alpine Skiing World Cup, which settled this weekend partly in spite of himself with the serious injury of the Norwegian holder Aleksander Aamodt Kilde .

A huge green hot air balloon not very graceful in the glory of a sponsor prevents to enjoy the landscape of the Kleinarl valley from the finish line.

Without having to climb into the basket, Alexis Pinturault (29) flew away this weekend and largely cleared his view.

At mid-season (19 races out of 37), the big goal of his career came closer: to become the first Frenchman since Luc Alphand in 1997 to win the big crystal globe.

His 9th place on Saturday and especially his 3rd place on Sunday, his first podium in the discipline for nearly a year, allowed him to increase his lead in the general classification, which he dominated with 218 points ahead of Aleksander Aamodt Kilde.

Above all, the 28-year-old Norwegian ruptured his cruciate ligament in his right knee on Saturday in super-G training in Austria as well.

Pinturault in Flachau, 5 kilometers from his Altenmarkt winter base camp, and Kilde about twenty kilometers further west: the season and a fate may have played out a few kilometers away.

His most serious rival, Marco Odermatt, is now pushed back to 277 points.

The talented Swiss is, like Pinturault, destined to one day win the big globe, but it is at 23 years the first time that he finds himself in the position of playing the supreme title.

- Christmas released in the 1st round -

Historic rival of Alexis Pinturault and among the three favorites before the start of winter, the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen is currently having a disappointing season (7th Sunday) and is only 7th overall, 358 points behind the Frenchman .

It remains for Pinturault to continue his momentum: in fifteen starts this season he has never left.

Again at the top in slalom, he remains solid in super-G and continues to win regularly (four victories including three in giant, one in parallel).

On Sunday, the French ran into the Norwegian Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (at 95 / 100th), who finally won at the age of 29 the first victory of his career, which he savored by huddling like a fetus in the snow after the finish line, tears running down her face despite the chilly temperature (about minus 5 degrees).

Foss-Solevaag was 76 / 100th ahead of Austrian Marco Schwarz, who took the lead in the specialty thanks to a 5th podium in six slaloms this winter.

The French Clément Noël went out in the first round the day after his first podium of the season (2nd).

Victor Muffat-Jeandet and Jean-Baptiste Grange are 18th and 19th.

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