Paris (AFP)
France's Alizée Baron and Marielle Berger-Sabbatel took the first two places in the final during the World Cup skicross stage held on Saturday in Idre Fjäll, Sweden.
The two Bleues managed to beat the Swiss Fanny Smith, leader of the World Cup, who had made a better start at the end of the course, and will therefore have to wait to overtake another French skier, Ophélie David (26 successes).
This is Baron's second World Cup victory, after Are in 2015, also in Sweden.
And his first podium for two years, after a white season last year (back injury) then two 4th places in Italy in December, but a new shoulder injury in Val Thorens.
"It's crazy, I can't believe it," Baron reacted to the FIS microphone.
"I'm so happy. It was a big battle," she added.
Victim of a slight concussion during a fall on Wednesday, the debutante Jade Grillet-Aubert completed the group shot of the French by taking 7th place in the small final.
She finished 2nd in Val Thorens, behind Smith, on her 4th World Cup outing.
Another Frenchwoman, Amélie Schneider, was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
On the boys' side, the final was won by the Canadian Reece Howden, currently leader of the World Cup, ahead of the Swiss Jonas Lenherr and the German Niklas Bachsleitner.
Jonathan Midol took 6th place in the small final, while Jean-Frédéric Chapuis, returning from a back injury, was eliminated in the quarter-finals.
Respectively winner and 3rd in the sprint, Wednesday, Bastien Midol and François Place were ejected in the round of 16, like Youri Duplessis-Kergomard.
Another round of the World Cup will be organized on Sunday on the same Swedish track.
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