Faster than the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen by eight hundredths and the German Linus Strasser by 18 hundredths, Yule won his fifth individual World Cup race, all slaloms.

It was well worth a bow from Kristoffersen, who had to bow after the race.

His last victory dates back to 2020, in Kitzbühel (Austria).

He then had his finest season, punctuated by three successes, including another at Madonna di Campiglio, proof that the track located in Trentino-Alto Adige is doing well for him.

The 29-year-old Swiss finished seventh in the season-opening slalom in Val d'Isère.

Behind him, Kristoffersen confirms his excellent season by mounting the podium for the fourth time.

Very consistent, he had already finished second of the two giants of Alta Badia last weekend, in the Italian Dolomites.

"The error came quickly"

Conversely, the Olympic champion in the discipline Clément Noël regularly makes mistakes this season.

The Frenchman straddled a stake in the middle of the course, while he made a good second run, far from the restraint he had shown in the first, probably due to lack of confidence.

Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen who finished 2nd in the Madonna di Campiglio slalom in the Italian Alps, December 22, 2022 © Tiziana FABI / AFP

He had already experienced a similar misadventure during the opening slalom of the season in Val d'Isère.

“The error happened quickly, it happens to me far too often, he analyzed after the race. I will try to work on it. last season. I can't go back on it, I can just try to work, to get back to a good level."

This new poor performance will further push the Vosges back in the WCSL ranking, which determines the bib numbers, and therefore the order of the skiers, in the next races.

“The slalom is at least 50% confidence, the desire to go fast, he added. There are a lot of things that play out in your head. put everything in place in the next races."

Time is running out, because in the world of alpine skiing, which will take place in France, in Courchevel-Méribel, will take place in a month and a half (February 5-19).

Not in his best form either, his compatriot Alexis Pinturault took fourteenth place - tied with the Norwegian Timon Haugan - because of a fault in the middle of the course, while the other Frenchmen involved, Paco Rassat (33rd) , Victor Muffat-Jeandet (34th) and Steven Amiez (retirement) did not qualify for the second round

Frustrated Austrians

First at the end of the first round, the sturdy Norwegian Lucas Braathen, in great shape this season, broke down during the second, failing at the foot of the podium.

The 22-year-old skier, finally regular at the highest level, therefore did not succeed in the double after his victory in Val d'Isère.

On the Italian track, it was the Austrians who ruled for a long time, Manuel Feller and Marco Schwartz in the lead, followed by Fabio Gstrein and Adrian Pertl.

But they were all dislodged by the top four, and ultimately had to settle for a Top 10.

Their compatriot Johannes Strolz, Olympic silver medalist in the slalom in Beijing last February, experienced misfortune: well underway in the Italian course, he encountered a... stake on his way, which he had ejected quite unintentionally a few meters higher, and which almost knocked him over.

This scene was repeated at Madonna di Campiglio, where the poles flew, sometimes hampering the skiers.

In the general classification of the World Cup, the Swiss Marco Odermatt (796 points), who does not compete in the slaloms, still sits ahead of a trio of Norwegians: Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (525), also absent in Madonna di Campiglio, then Kristoffersen ( 385) and Braathen (365).

© 2022 AFP