While Loïc Meillard has found his top form, Daniel Yule is still not running smoothly at all this World Cup winter. Another disappointment for the Valais skier in Alta Badia.
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- Loïc Meillard confirms his strong form and finishes third in the slalom in Alta Badia, although a skiing error in the second run could have cost him victory.
- Daniel Yule misses out on the top 10 again, only finishing 26th, and is perplexed by his continuing form crisis this season.
- While Meillard is looking forward to a well-deserved Christmas break, Yule is hoping for "fast turns" as a gift to get back on the road to success.
After his brilliant performance in Val-d'Isère (victory in the giant slalom, 2nd place in the slalom), Loïc Meillard also delivers in the slalom in Alta Badia. He finished third behind Atle Lie McGrath and Clément Noël. However, the Frenchman is not completely satisfied. A mistake in the middle section of the second run could even cost him victory.
"On the one hand, I'm annoyed because I know that I'm throwing away the victory with my mistake. On the other hand, I'm happy that I found my rhythm again despite the mistake and that it was still enough for the podium," Meillard told SRF after the race. "I wanted to attack and then lost a bit of control. That immediately cost me a lot of time."
After intensive weeks and a lot of traveling, the technicians will now have a few days break until the night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio on January 7. Now he's looking forward to Christmas, says Meillard: "I want to enjoy it, have a good meal and a glass of wine. Just have a bit of peace and quiet with the family, that will be nice."
Daniel Yule and the search for top form
The holidays will be less enjoyable for Daniel Yule, who also misses out on the top 10 in the fourth slalom of the season and only finishes 26th. "During the Christmas break, I'll have to go over the books," the 32-year-old states. As 29th in the first run, he only just managed to qualify for the decision.
22nd, 11th, 21st and now 26th are the season results for the man from Valais, who won the small crystal globe in 2018/19 and 2019/20. Yule can't really explain why things haven't really gone to plan this winter. "I already had the feeling in the second run that there was a bit more speed, but it was still slow. Maybe I just wanted too much. Unfortunately, it didn't work out by force."
Yule won his seventh and so far last World Cup victory in Chamonix in February 2024, since then he has never stood on the podium again. That's why Yule has a very special request for Santa Claus: "Fast turns" is what he wants for Christmas.
