Loïc Meillard misses out on victory in the Slalom World Cup. He finished 5th in the last race of the winter in Sun Valley, Idaho, with Norway's Timon Haugan winning. Haugan's compatriot Henrik Kristoffersen took the small crystal globe.
The starting position was in his favor - and he didn't miss the chance to win the small globe for victory in the discipline classification for the first time in three years. Kristoffersen took a 47-point lead over his closest rival Loïc Meillard into the USA as the leader in this classification. Fourth place was good enough, especially as the Frenchman was unable to build on his recent great performances in the first run.
Meillard was 1.68 seconds behind Haugan's best time, Kristoffersen was 1.54 seconds faster. All that remained for the world champion was hope - which was not to be fulfilled, even though he was able to improve significantly in the second run and move up three places to 5th place thanks to his best time.
The decision for the day's victory was a very close one. Haugan was three hundredths faster than Frenchman Clément Noël in his fourth World Cup victory. Austria's Fabio Gstrein secured his second top-three finish in the World Cup with third place.
The fourth slalom trophy is one of many proofs that Kristoffersen was back to his "old self" at the end of the season, that he had managed to learn the right lessons from the previous winter, in which things had not gone according to plan. Kristoffersen and his (private) team never really got to grips with the coordination problems with the equipment, which he has been sourcing from Marcel Hirscher's company for three years. One of the consequences of this was that the Norwegian was left without a World Cup victory, something that had never happened to him in the ten seasons before and since his rise to the top.
Kristoffersen is still a hothead who doesn't always know how to control his temper. "Swearing, throwing my hands or throwing away ski poles, that's always the case with me." Nevertheless, he has made "progress" in his behavior. He has become more relaxed and has his emotions better under control. "I can control my frustration after 'defeats' better."
The reason for the change can probably be found in his private life. Kristoffersen has been a father to son Emil for a year and a half. This summer, he will marry his fiancée Tonje Barkenes. Loïc Meillard will be among the invited guests.
-
Liveticker
-
Liveticker closed
-
