Kristoffersen leads after 1st run of 1st World Cup slalom
VAL d’ISÈRE, France (AP) — Henrik Kristoffersen led after the opening run of the first World Cup slalom of the season on Sunday as he aims to get his defence of the discipline title off to a winning start.
Kristoffersen posted a time of 50.08 seconds on the Face de Bellevarde course in Val d’Isère to take a slender advantage of 0.07 over Norwegian compatriot Lucas Braathen. Manuel Feller of Austria was third, 0.56 slower than Kristoffersen.
Olympic champion Clément Noël, silver medallist Johannes Strolz and Atle Lie McGrath went out of the race after straddling gates as three of the first nine skiers failed to finish.
Noël won on home snow in Val d’Isère last year.
The battle for the slalom title was wide open last season with seven different winners in the first seven races in the discipline. It was a third slalom season title for Kristoffersen.
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