Haugan Takes Val d'Isère Slalom Win
Timon Haugan delivered a tactical masterclass on the Face de Bellevarde on Sunday, claiming his fifth career World Cup slalom victory and denying Swiss star Loïc Meillard a historic weekend double.
The 28-year-old Norwegian defied deteriorating course conditions and immense pressure to cross the line in a combined time of 1 minute 37.89 seconds. He finished 0.28 seconds ahead of Meillard, who had led after the first run and was aiming to become the first man since 1964 to win both the giant slalom and slalom in Val d'Isère in the same weekend.
Haugan’s compatriot Henrik Kristoffersen rounded out the podium in third, finishing 0.34 seconds back to seal a dominant day for the "Attacking Vikings," who placed four skiers in the top six.
Trailing Meillard by a razor-thin 0.05 seconds after the opening run, Haugan admitted the wait at the top was agonizing.
"I was very, very nervous between the runs," Haugan revealed. "It is tricky on the track, and with the course, you know you have to push, you know you have to be on the limit... I tried to relax, breathe, and focus on my skiing—focus on everything else than the result."
"It was pretty bad this morning but then it actually got a little bit better," Haugan said of his back pain. It was tough. Especially before the first run, that was probably the worst part. I went back to my room and just tried to breathe, tried to make the muscles relax and get ready for the first run.
"The first run went well, and then it was just one more run; do my best and see what happens. I'm extremely happy with the win and with the whole day."
That focus paid off. While other contenders faltered on the rutted and steep second course, Haugan found a balance between aggression and control. He charged through the middle section, building enough of a buffer to withstand Meillard's final assault.
Meillard, who won Saturday’s Giant Slalom, looked poised to complete the double but lost crucial time in the top section of his second run. Despite a furious recovery in the final gates, the Swiss ace had to settle for second place.
"Definitely a great weekend," he said. "Today was definitely not easy on the second run but I knew we had to push and it was a good fight. We always want (the win), that's for sure, but I think I can be happy with how I skied, with the way I pushed. A few small mistakes too many to be on the top, but it was definitely a nice fight and good skiing as well."
It was a banner day for the Norwegian technical team. Alongside Haugan and Kristoffersen, rising talents Oscar Andreas Sandvik and Hans Grahl-Madsen finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Sandvik’s result marked a career-best, signaling the depth of the squad heading into the Olympic season.
The day’s biggest mover was Italy’s Alex Vinatzer. After barely qualifying for the second run in 25th position, Vinatzer laid down a blistering second run—the fastest of the day—to skyrocket 21 spots up the leaderboard and finish fourth, just missing the podium.
The race was less kind to other favorites. Olympic champion Clément Noël was among the high-profile DNFs, while Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath and Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen both straddled gates in the second run after promising starts.
With the victory, Haugan vaults to the top of the World Cup slalom standings, establishing himself as the man to beat as the circuit heads toward the holiday break.
"This area is one of the trickiest slalom courses," Haugan said of the notorious French slope. "You can't just go full gas from top to bottom. You have to be smart. I'm very happy to win this one."
The men’s tour now moves to Val Gardena, Italy, for the speed disciplines, while the technical specialists will regroup for the classic night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio later in the month.
