Europe 1 with AFP 9:50 p.m., February 15, 2023

The Norwegian Maria Therese Tviberg and the German Alexander Schmid, skiers accustomed to places of honor, were crowned in the individual parallel of the Alpine Skiing Worlds, Wednesday in Méribel, where the Blues missed the medals.

The German Alexandre Schmid won this Wednesday the parallel world title in Méribel.

Among the women, the Norwegian Maria Therese Tviberg is in gold while the Frenchwoman Marie Lamure fails at the foot of the podium (4th).

Tviberg beat Switzerland's Wendy Holdener in the final after two runs, while another Norwegian, Thea Louise Stjernesund, won the bronze medal at the expense of France's Marie Lamure.

Schmid won his final duel against the Austrian Dominik Raschner.

Norwegian Timon Haugan completed the podium.

Without the reigning world champion Mathieu Faivre, eliminated in qualifying on Tuesday evening, the Blues were counting on Alexis Pinturault in the men's draw.

But the Courchevel skier, after a superb first week (combined title, bronze in super-G), fell on a bone in the round of 16.

The young Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen (21), revelation of the start of the season and formidable Tuesday on the team parallel (silver medal), who easily ejected the Frenchman, guilty of a fault in the first round.

>> READ ALSO

- Biathlon Worlds: Julia Simon "torpedoes" on the individual, Swedish double

"Such a sweet taste"

Clara Direz and Coralie Frasse-Sombet quickly eliminated, the tricolor public vibrated thanks to the astonishing Marie Lamure (21), landed this year in the World Cup and fallen in the round of 16 from the Italian defending champion Marta Bassino.

However, she had to lose to Wendy Holdener in the semi-finals, then failed in her duel for bronze against Stjernesund, losing a ski in the second run, before thanking her supporters by leading an ola.

"I'm not necessarily disappointed, a little bit because the medal was so close, but I'm fourth in the Worlds, it's incredible," she explained in the mixed zone.

"Limit the starting gate was shaking so much there was noise. The public was incredible today. I was able to play with them, on the finish line, it gave me wings. I saw my brother arrive like a fury, in tears, I've never seen him like this. I cried in his arms, it was crazy, I would have loved to take this medal home, but this chocolate fourth place tastes so soft."

>> READ ALSO

- Alpine Ski Worlds: the United States win the mixed team parallel

First world titles

Never winners in the World Cup at the Worlds or the Olympic Games so far, Tviberg and Schmid, comfortable in this rarely contested discipline, showed how much the individual parallel, introduced at the 2021 Worlds, was an open and random event. .

The discipline, criticized and shunned in 2023 by most stars (Shiffrin, Vlhova, Odermatt, Kilde, Brignone...) should disappear at the next Worlds in Saalbach (Austria) in 2025. "It would be a shame, I find it fun, even if I can understand that there are already a lot of races", noted the winner of the day.