Maillard takes third as Noel wins, Neff as good as ever

In the fourth ski race of the Winter World Cup, a Swiss athlete reached the podium for the first time. Loic Meillard finished third on his season debut in Levi's slalom.

Luic Maillard

Luik Mellard had to miss the giant slalom race in Sölden three weeks ago due to a disc problem. Now Romande has done better again. “I think when the adrenaline wears off, the whole evening and night is going to be a little bit unpleasant,” Maillard told SRF. “But I've got a few days to recover now.”

Levi's best Swiss: Loic Meillard.Image: trapezoid

Halfway through the race, things were already looking good for his 22nd World Cup podium: Maillard was just two hundredths behind second-placed Clement Noel, Henrik Kristofferson, who finished in ninth place. “It’s great to be able to go home on the podium,” said a delighted Louak Mailad. “There was definitely room for improvement in the second run, but still a good performance.” He had better results on the steeper slopes, where he lost a lot of time.

Tanguy Neff

The 27-year-old is in better form in the Far North than at any point in his World Cup career. With his fifth-place finish, Neff improved his previous best result by two sixth-place finishes. “I usually prepare very quickly, but actually you have to score two points and I'm happy to have done well today,” the French-speaking Swiss said on SRF.

Which makes it interesting to look at the scoreboard: Tanguy Nef.Image: trapezoid

He didn't feel the pressure that a team leader like Maillard felt. “I'm only the sixth Swiss on the starting list,” said Neff, who finished highest in 28th place. “Top 5 is great and I'll be happy if I can get into the top 15.” He plans to compete in the remaining races with a certain degree of relaxation. This is Neff's eighth top-10 finish at the World Cup.

another swiss

Ramon Zenhäuser and Daniel Yule, ranked 20th and 22nd, certainly do not satisfy the two Valais residents. Like Reto Mahler, who made his World Cup debut, Luca Erny missed the qualification for the second round and Marc Rochat was eliminated in the first round.

winner

Olympic champion Clement Noel achieved what he had failed to do in the Levi World Cup slalom five years ago: he successfully defended his lead after half time. When the time comes, he will have to let Kristofferson go first. For the Frenchman, it was his eleventh World Cup success.

On the podium: World Cup overall champion Henrik Kristoffersen, Clement Noel and Loisk Mailad (from left).Image: trapezoid

comeback

The start of slalom is different for both World Cup returnees. Like Sölden, Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen finished fourth. The starting number was No. 33, and he was ranked 10th at the halfway point and continued to improve in judgment. Pinheiro was a tenth of a second shy of Maillard's podium finish.

Satisfied with Pole Samba: Lucas Pinheiro Braathen.Image: trapezoid

Marcel Herschel's trip to Finland was disappointing. The Austrian driver, who was racing for the Netherlands, was 2.59 seconds behind Noel, clearly missing out on the second run in 46th place. (Random Access Memory/SDA)

The Swiss national team's relegation from the A-League is already a fact after a 1-1 draw with Serbia in the Nations League. Players around goalkeepers Gregor Kerber and Remo Freuler, as well as coach Murat Yakin, were correspondingly disappointed. Meanwhile, the Natty star also stressed that his performance at Leitzgrund in Zurich was actually pretty good – but only missed the second goal in the end. Here are the voices after the game: