Clément Noël / Madonna di Campiglio / GEPA pictures
Noël delivers under the lights as Madonna di Campiglio slalom crowns a veteran and two rising stars
Clément Noël reminded the men’s slalom field why experience still matters on one of the sport’s most unforgiving nights.
The reigning Olympic champion charged from the 28th second run start position to win the Madonna di Campiglio night slalom, mastering a brutal second course that claimed nine DNFs and punished even the smallest mistake in the final sector. Behind him, Eduard Hallberg and Paco Rassat delivered great performances, completing a podium that blended championship pedigree with the sport’s next wave of contenders.
🏁 Top five — Madonna di Campiglio men’s slalom
- 🇫🇷 Clément Noël (FRA) — 1:43.05
- 🇫🇮 Eduard Hallberg (FIN) — +0.12
- 🇫🇷 Paco Rassat (FRA) — +0.37
- 🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA) — +0.40
- 🇳🇴 Erik Hystad Solberg (NOR) — +0.43
Noël finds relief and rhythm under the lights
For Clément Noël, the victory in Madonna di Campiglio brought relief as much as satisfaction. The Olympic slalom champion has experienced both near misses and difficult nights on the Canalone Miramonti, including a missed opportunity in 2021, making Tuesday’s result especially meaningful.
“It’s a big relief,” Noël said. “I’ve had some ups and downs here in Madonna. I almost won in 2021, and I’ve also had some really bad results. To finally win here feels really cool.”
The win ended a long stretch without standing on the top step of the podium. While Noël remained competitive throughout the season, he acknowledged that winning carries a different weight than finishing second or third.
“Winning is way different than being second or third,” Noël said. “At the beginning of the season I felt okay, and in training the last few weeks I was getting better and better. I knew the skiing was there.”
Execution made the difference on this night. Noël admitted his first run left room for improvement, but his second run came together on a course that demanded total commitment.
“I wasn’t fully happy with my first run, but the second one was really nice,” Noël said. “This night race in Madonna is always special — the fans, the atmosphere — it’s one of the best events on the World Cup.”
Sharing the podium with teammate Paco Rassat only added to the moment, and Noël pointed to January as a key stretch ahead for the French team.
“The team is in strong shape,” Noël said. “It’s really good to share this with Paco. January is a big month for us.”
Hallberg confirms the progress is real
For Eduard Hallberg, Madonna di Campiglio was another step in a season that is quickly gaining definition. The young Finn said the second run demanded constant adjustment, especially as speed disappeared late in the course.
“The hardest part was staying sharp all the way to the bottom,” Hallberg said. “There were so many rhythm changes, and the last section was really difficult to ski fast.”
Hallberg said his focus was not on chasing a result, but on executing cleanly under pressure — something he feels is becoming more natural.
“I felt calm at the start,” he said. “That’s something I’ve been working on, and nights like this show that it’s starting to come together.”
Rassat explains the long wait
Few skiers experienced the second run more intensely than Paco Rassat, who watched a dozen challengers attempt — and fail — to dislodge his time from the leader’s chair.
“You’re not relaxing at all,” Rassat said. “You’re watching every run, seeing where people are losing time, and wondering if your time will still hold.”
Rassat said the course rewarded restraint more than aggression, especially as mistakes accumulated late in the race.
“I knew my run wasn’t perfect,” he said. “But on a slope like this, being solid everywhere can be enough.”
A second run that reshaped the race
The final run quickly became a test of survival. The first three starters failed to finish, and by the time 20 skiers had dropped in, eight were already out. Frequent rhythm changes, abrupt speed transitions, and a demanding final sector left little room for adjustment, turning the course itself into the night’s defining storyline.
The race finally found structure when Antoine Azzolin delivered the first complete run, scoring the first World Cup points of his career, before Joaquim Baucells Salarich triggered the first lead change. From there, the leader’s chair became a pressure cooker.
Big movers up the leaderboard
- 🇫🇷 Paco Rassat (FRA) — 1998
Run 1: 16th → Finish: 3rd
Took control of the race and held the leader’s chair through 12 skiers, earning his second World Cup slalom podium. - 🇧🇷 Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA) — 2000
Run 1: 11th → Finish: 4th
Charged into podium contention and missed third place by just 0.03 seconds, losing decisive time only in the final sector. - 🇪🇸 Joaquim Baucells Salarich (ESP) — 1998
Run 1: 23rd → Finish: 13th
One of the first skiers to unlock the second course, setting the early benchmark and forcing the race fully into motion. - 🇫🇷 Antoine Azzolin (FRA) — 2003
Run 1: 27th → Finish: 16th
Delivered a breakthrough second run to score the first World Cup points of his career.
Rassat’s long stand
Rassat emerged as the central figure of the second run. Skiing with patience and control, he took the lead and held it through 12 challengers, surviving wave after wave of attacks as established names fell away. His run was not the fastest, but it was clean — and on this night, that was enough to matter.
Experience finally breaks through
The turning point came when Noël, carrying a significant start advantage, attacked decisively. He maintained speed through the rhythm changes and limited losses in the punishing final sector, taking the lead by 0.37 seconds and locking himself into podium position.
Hallberg, the fastest skier from the first run, delivered a brilliant final run of his own. He managed the course better than nearly everyone else, but crossed 0.12 seconds short of victory — still enough to secure the second World Cup podium of his career.
When the final challenger crossed well back, Rassat’s remarkable move up the leaderboard was rewarded with his second World Cup slalom podium, matching Hallberg’s season tally and confirming his growing presence among the sport’s elite.
🇺🇸 🇬🇧 USA and Great Britain
The demanding second run left no margin for error for the U.S. and British starters. Benjamin Ritchie of the Stifel U.S. Ski Team was thrown off balance early in his run and missed a gate, exiting the race without straddling as the course continued to punish even small timing errors. Ritchie remains in search of his first World Cup points of the season, with opportunities still ahead as the calendar turns deeper into January.
Great Britain’s Laurie Taylor also failed to finish, another victim of a second course that claimed nine DNFs overall. With Taylor out, neither the United States nor Great Britain scored World Cup points in Madonna di Campiglio, underscoring just how unforgiving the night slalom proved to be.
A defining night
On a slope that exposed hesitation instantly, Noël’s composure separated him from the field. Hallberg confirmed his rise. Rassat proved his consistency was no fluke.
It was a night where experience prevailed, youth broke through, and the course decided everything.
Race Results
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Second Run Analysis: Top four
About the Author: Peter Lange
