In a thrilling race under the floodlights, in front of a 45,000 ski fans crowd, French Clement Noël won the Night Slalom in Schladming. He finished ahead of Ramon Zenhaeusern by a mere +0.07 seconds. Lucas Braathen finished +0.38 seconds behind Noël.
The 25-year-old Olympic Champion in Beijing put in a strong second run after finishing in 7th place in the 1st run. Noël celebrated his first World Cup victory since December 2021. It's his 10th World Cup Slalom victory.
"It's incredible. I am very, very happy. My season has been a bit difficult so far. I was still sad in Kitzbühel, but Schladming is also a big race. My next dream is to win the World Championships at home. But I don't want to think too much about the future, now I'm happy for once", said Noël.
Ramon Zenhaeusern is back on the World Cup podium for the first time in almost 2 years. It was his first World Cup podium since a 3rd place in Kranjska Gora in March 2021.
"It's absolutely amazing. After such a difficult last season. I worked my way forward in small steps. The fact that I made the big leap onto the podium in Schladming, on a slope that I didn't like at all before, makes everything even more emotional for me", said the two-meter Swiss skier.
Lucas Braathen has claimed five podium finishes in World Cup slalom races this season. He is the first man since Marco Schwarz in 2020-2021 (6) to record four successive podium finishes in World Cup slalom events.
Lucas Braathen leads the Slalom World Cup standings. He extends his lead over Kristoffersen to 51 points.
"It's cool to be back on the podium. I felt good and had confidence. I'm really happy", said Braathen.