Finally, it was not good to be among the best ranked in the first round of the Kitzbühel slalom on Saturday. Italian Alex Vinatzer, Frenchman Clément Noël and Norwegian Sebastian Foss-Solevaag, who made up the top three, all missed their second track. Vinatzer straddled from the start and Foss-Solevaag had experienced a similar misfortune a little earlier.
Pinturault straddles the entry
Noël, he made a big mistake on his journey. If he was able to finish, he was on the other hand in the race for victory and the podium. On arrival, the Frenchman only won 15th place (+1”73). Since his victory in Val-d’Isère on December 12, Noël has had a series of disappointments: disqualified at Madonna di Campiglio, abandonment at Adelboden, 8th at Wengen and therefore 15th at Kitzbühel.
Alexis Pinturault didn’t finish the slalom either. 7th at the end of the first heat, he straddled from the start of the second.
Superb recovery from Kristoffersen
The slalom scenario finally smiled on Briton Dave Ryding. Starting with the sixth provisional time, he won and thus became, at 35, the first skier from Great Britain to win a World Cup stage. Ryding was ahead of the Norwegians Lucas Braathen (+0”38) and Henrik Kristoffersen (+0”65).
A week after the fantastic comeback from Braathen to Wengen, it was Kristoffersen who stood out this Saturday. He was only 24th after the first run. Braathen was in ninth place. In total, 11 skiers did not go to the end of the second route.