Europe 1 with AFP 7:01 p.m., February 05, 2023
After having revolved around victory for a long time this winter, the Frenchwoman Perrine Laffont has returned to success in parallel moguls in Deer Valley (Utah), which bodes well three weeks before the Worlds in Bakuriani, Georgia.
A victory that allows the French to pick up the general classification.
Perrine Lafont returns to the top of the moguls.
Four times second and twice second this winter before going to Deer Valley (Utah), Perrine Laffont has rediscovered the intoxication of a World Cup victory that has eluded her for the moment this season.
Third Thursday evening in single moguls behind Australian Jakara Anthony, reigning Olympic champion, and American Jaelin Kauf, Olympic silver in 2022, Laffont beat Kauf two days later in the parallel moguls final, to sign the 27th victory of his career (for 91 starts).
This success allows the 24-year-old Pyrenean to return to 14 points behind Anthony in the general classification of the Moguls World Cup, three events from the end of the season.
The next one, a parallel to Chiesa in Valmalenco (Italy) will be an opportunity to take the lead and gain confidence before the Bakuriani Worlds (February 19-March 5).
In Georgia, the weekend of February 25-26, Laffont will aim for a fourth world title after those won in parallel (2017 and 2019) and in singles (2021).
On the men's side, Ben Cavet scored his second podium of the season, third in single moguls behind Australian Matt Graham and Canadian Mikael Kingsbury.
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First for Surget in snowboardcross
At 23, Merlin Surget won his first World Cup event, in Cortina d'Ampezzo in the Italian Dolomites.
A success that comes at the right time for Surget, for the last event before the Bakuriani Worlds.
In the night final in Cortina, Surget beat the American Jake Vedder and another Frenchman, Léo Le Blé Jacques.
This is the second victory of the winter for French snowboarders in cross country, after Loan Bozzolo in Cervinia (Italy) in mid-December.
Among the women, Chloé Trespeuch climbed on her fourth podium in as many races contested this winter.
She had to settle for 3rd place in Cortina behind the Briton Charlotte Bankes and the American Faye Gulini, after a victory in Cervinia, a second place in Les Deux-Alpes and a third place in Cervinia.
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Cross-country skiers around the podium
For the last stage of the Cross-Country Skiing World Cup before the 2023 World Nordic Skiing Championships in Planica in Slovenia (February 23-March 5), the French spent the whole weekend around the podium in Toblach (north of Italy), without ever succeeding in climbing on it.
In exceptional form for several weeks, Richard Jouve was further back in the free individual sprint, eliminated in the quarter-finals, just like Jules Chappaz.
Renaud Jay spent one more lap, but stopped in the semis.
The only Frenchman in the final, Lucas Chanavat finished in fifth place.
In the relay on Sunday, Clément Parisse, Hugo Lapalus, Jules Lapierre and Jouve (4x7.5 km) took 7th place.
In the 10 kilometer freestyle, Lapalus took eighth place, the first non-Norwegian in a race won by Paal Goldberg, ahead of Simen Krüger and Johannes Klaebo.
Second last week at Les Rousses, Delphine Claudel confirmed that she was one of the best cross-country skiers in freestyle at the moment, with a sixth place just ten seconds from the podium.
At 26, she will try to bring French women's cross-country skiing a first medal in major championships, with a 10 km free scheduled for Tuesday February 28 in Planica.
Laurent Muhlethaler and Mattéo Baud entered the top 10 in Nordic combined in Oberstdorf (Germany), a 6th place for Muhlethaler on Saturday and a 10th place for Baud on Sunday.
In ski jumping, Joséphine Pagnier took 9th place in Willingen (Germany), in a competition marked by the heavy fall when landing the jump of Finland's Jenny Rautionaho.