Switzerland suffers a slalom defeat in Levi. Loïc Meillard in 14th place is still the best and appears perplexed in an interview after the race.
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- The Swiss skiers are not getting up to speed in the slalom in Levi. Loïc Meillard is the only one to just make it into the top 15.
- In an interview after the race, the world champion is a little surprised that he wasn't faster: "The feeling wasn't that bad. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't so bad that I had to say I know why I was so slow."
- There will be a chance for a better result in a week's time, when the next World Cup slalom is scheduled in Gurgl, Austria.
Great disillusionment for our otherwise so spoiled for success Swiss skiers in Levi. After the women had already disappointed on Saturday (Holdener was the best in 8th place), the men experienced a bitter defeat in the first slalom of the season. World Champion Loïc Meillard is still the best in 14th place, but an impressive streak is broken: since the slalom in Garmisch in February 2022, a Swiss skier has finished in the top ten in every race.
In the SRF interview after the race, Meillard was rather perplexed: "I didn't ski badly, but I wasn't fast. And in the end, that's what's important." He doesn't know exactly why he wasn't fast on this snow today: "The feeling wasn't that bad. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't such that I would have to say I know why I'm so slow."
Looking ahead to next weekend, where another slalom is scheduled in Gurgl, Meillard says: "I have to tick off this weekend. Attack again next week and go for it. It will be a different course and different snow."
When asked whether he is frustrated after his 14th place, the Frenchman explains: "Yes, of course, in the end I'm not here to finish in the top 15." If you have to race for the podium, this is not a good result. One thing in particular is bothering Meillard: "I attacked and didn't make any big mistakes. But it was too slow."
Compared to training, the snow was a little different and the course was much easier. That's why he struggled to find the right rhythm, says the two-time slalom World Cup winner.
