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Loïc Meillard wants to finish on the podium for the first time in Madonna di Campiglio.
Keystone
Back problems forced Loïc Meillard to take a break from racing in Bormio. On Wednesday, the French-Swiss racer wants to attack again in the night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio. His back is fine at the moment, he says.
A persistent back injury has been troubling Loïc Meillard since the start of the season. In October, before the races in Sölden, he tore the sheath of the intervertebral disc in his spine. Although this is painful, it does not prevent the 28-year-old from performing at his best.
In the slalom in particular, Meillard is one of the absolute world leaders, even when injured. In the four races of the season in his showpiece discipline, the man from the west of Switzerland made it onto the podium three times and finished fifth once. Meillard also wants to attack again on Wednesday evening in the night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio.
But what about his back? He skipped the speed races in Bormio before the turn of the year and gave himself a break. "It's fine at the moment," Meillard tells SRF. "The break has done me good." Also for personal reasons. For the first time in a long time, he was able to spend more time with his family around the festive period.
Nevertheless, Meillard quickly returned to the slopes. The training runs so far have "worked well", he says. In any case, the slalom season is going "as planned" so far, so he is hoping for the next top result in Madonna di Campiglio on Wednesday evening.
Perhaps the time is even ripe for his first win of the season. "In recent years, I've always missed out on a podium finish here because of a few hundredths. Hopefully I can show two strong runs this time," says Meillard. After all, the slope in Madonna suits him well. "It's not an extra-special slope. I just have to attack and not think too much."
