Henrik Kristoffersen takes Val d'Isere slalom to extend overall World Cup lead
With Clement Noel out injured, Kristoffersen took full advantage to claim his third win in the race as first-run leader Steven Amiez crashed out.
Alpine Skiing
Henrik Kristoffersen scored his third career win in the Val d'Isere slalom on Sunday (15 December) to extend his overall lead in the 2024/25 FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup.
The 30-year-old led with just first-run leader Steven Amiez remaining, but the Frenchman crashed out early to hand a 31st World Cup victory to the Norwegian. Atle Lie McGrath made it a one-two for Norway with Switzerland's Loic Meillard in third place.
Kristoffersen's victory also put him top of the slalom World Cup standings with home favourite Clement Noel missing due to an ankle sprain sustained in Saturday’s giant slalom. Olympic champion Noel had won both previous slalom races this season.
It was a roller coaster of a weekend for Kristoffersen who was furious after his giant slalom fifth in gloomy conditions on Saturday. He told FIS afterwards, “First of all, sorry for Steven. He’s skiing really good and he will get there. And sorry about Noel – it should have been a good fight today. But I’m very happy. It was very difficult today. Experience is nice to have sometimes.”
When asked if he was a different person to when he secured his last Val d’Isere win in 2016, he said, “I’m a little older, a little more calm maybe. Yesterday, not so much but today for sure. And I’m a father so I have to behave a little bit, but not too much!”
With light fading and the racing line rutting up badly at the French resort, the fastest skiers on the first run had the worst of the conditions on the second.
Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen was only 26th on the first run, but managed to move up into a share of fourth place with reigning slalom World Cup champion Manuel Feller. The Austrian completed a race for the first time this season but slipped from third after the first run.
Tobias Kastlunger was the fastest man on the second run, rising from 29th to a career-best seventh. The Italian's only previous World Cup top-10 finish was 10th in Val d’Isere two years ago.
Marco Schwarz made his comeback almost 12 months after sustaining a torn anterior cruciate knee ligament in the Bormio downhill. After a return further delayed by back trouble, the Austrian star skied solidly to lie 10th after the first run but straddled a gate early on the second.
Kristoffersen's first win of the season saw him stretch his overall advantage to 108 points. He and the rest of the technical specialists head to Alta Badia, Italy for a giant slalom next Sunday followed by a slalom on Monday with Noel facing a race against time to be fit.
Val d'Isere, 2024/25 FIS Alpine Ski World Cup: Results from men's slalom, 15 December 2024 (top 10):
1. Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) 1:36.40
2. Atle Lie McGrath (NOR) +0.52
3. Loic Meillard (SUI) +0.89
4= Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA), Manuel Feller (AUT) +0.95
6. Samuel Kolega (CRO) +1.07
7. Tobias Kastlunger (ITA) +1.13
8. Timon Haugan (NOR) +1.20
9. Dave Ryding (GBR) +1.22
10. Alex Vinatzer (ITA) +1.27