In the men's slaloms, anything has been possible in almost every race for some time now. In Gurgl, two racers stand on the podium for the first time, Armand Marchant lets Belgium celebrate.
22.11.2025, 16:05
22.11.2025, 16:07
SDA
While Tanguy Nef will have to wait a little longer for the first World Cup podium of his career despite a strong performance in 5th place, two other pole artists show how quickly things can happen. Paco Rassat's best result so far was a 6th place and on Saturday in the Ötztal, he shot up from 14th place to the top. "It's crazy," said the 27-year-old from Chambéry in the Savoy Alps, struggling for words. "I don't know what to say, I'm happy, it's a dream come true."
Armand Marchant even made sporting history in Gurgl. After Lucas Pinheiro Braathen secured Brazil's first World Cup victory a week ago in Levi, he has now become the first Belgian to finish on a World Cup podium. In Levi, he had missed out on qualifying for the second run in 34th place.
However, the 27-year-old "flatlander" from Liège had already hinted at his potential. He finished fifth in Zagreb in January 2020, seventh in Val d'Isère in 2021 and tenth in Schladming just under a year ago.
Marchant and Rassat are thus also a visible sign of the enormously broad top in the slalom. Last winter, there were six different winners in twelve slaloms. Together with the Finn Eduard Hallberg in Levi, three "newcomers" have also finished on the podium for the first time this season.
