Noel became Olympic slalom champion, Strolz wrote another beautiful story – Športky.sk

BEIJING – French skier Clement Noel won Wednesday’s slalom at the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing. He won the gold with a lead of 61 hundred seconds over the silver Austrian Johannes Strolz, the bronze was won by the reigning world champion in this discipline Sebastian Foss-Solevaag from Norway (+0.70 s).

Slovak national team member Adam Žampa finished in 25th position with a shortfall of 6.92 seconds, his younger brother Andreas did not finish the second round.

After the first round, Strolz took the lead, who has already triumphed in China in the alpine combination. However, the time differences were minimal, leading only two hundredths of a second ahead of Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen, Foss-Solevaag was only six hundredths behind in the third place. Noel had the sixth rung with a distance of 0.38 s.

Starting in No. 19, Strolz showed an aggressive ride with the maximum dose of risk and, although he did not avoid mistakes, he developed a close lead over the Norwegian co-Bavarian duo. Strolz’s compatriot Manuel Feller did not manage the pitfalls of the track, and the Swede Kristoffer Jakobsen did not finish the first round either.

I don’t know better

Twenty-four-year-old Noel performed the fastest second race and achieved life success, having not yet won a medal at top adult events. Four years ago at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyongyang, he finished fourth. Although he won the opening slalom in Val d’´sere, France, this World Cup season, he finished in eighth place out of the following five competitions.

“These races were one of the most important in my career. You don’t have a chance to win a medal at the Olympics every day. It’s one shot – a minute and 40 seconds every four years. I knew I was in shape, I didn’t do well in the race in January. “But I was really good and fast in training in China. I don’t know any better, I have no words to describe this success.” the Frenchman told AFP.

Kristoffersen fell just behind the medals, lagging behind the bronze compatriot Fossa-Solevaaga by nine hundred.

After the first round, Adam Žampa was in 32nd place with a loss of 3.84 to Strolz, Andreas was ranked 33rd with a gap of 4.14 s behind the leader. The older of the siblings completed his first slalom in Beijing after a two-year break, concentrating on the giant slalom due to back problems.

In the second round, he managed to move seven positions and placed in the elite thirty, albeit with a huge loss to the winner. Andreas Žampa, who had previously competed in the slalom at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyongyang at the top event, was eliminated in the second round.

“It happened fast. I knew I had to let the skis go, but it slipped a little. But nothing happened to me.” said Andreas Žampa.

2022 Olympic Games in Beijing – Alpine skiing

Men’s Slalom: 1. Clement Noel (Fr.) 1: 44.09 min, 2. Johannes Strolz (AUT) +0.61 s, 3. Sebastian Foss-Solevaag +0.70, 4. Henrik Kristoffersen (both Norway) + 0.79, 5. Loic Meillard +0.80, 6. Daniel Yule (CHE) +0.86, 7. Linus Strasser (DEU) +0.93, 8. Giuliano Razzoli (ITA) +0, 96, 9. Albert Popov (BGR) +1,06, 10. Alexander Chorošilov (ROC) +1,08, … 25. Adam ŽAMPA +6.92 s, Andreas ŽAMPA (both SR) did not finish 2nd round

• The author: © List
• Source: TASR