Winner of the first round of the Alta Badia slalom, Clément Noël had to admit defeat against the Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath at the end of the second. It’s still a second podium this season for the Vosges.
Fourth World Cup slalom this season and fourth different winner! After Lucas Pinheiro Braathen in Levi, Paco Rassat in Gurgl and Timon Haugan in Val d’Isère, it was Atle Lie McGrath who triumphed this Monday at Alta Badia. Second in the first round, just nine tenths behind Clément Noël, the Norwegian-American had every chance in second, and he set the 8th time, which allowed him to win.
Starting penultimate, McGrath dislodged Loïc Meillard from the leader’s seat by nine hundredths. It then remained for Clément Noël to close the starting gate. But the reigning Olympic champion skied slower than in the first round, settling for only 22nd time. Overall, he finished 30 hundredths behind the winner, but managed to keep nine hundredths ahead of Meillard to climb onto the podium, his second of the season after that of Levi. For McGrath (25), this is a fourth World Cup victory, the first since Wengen eleven months ago.
The French in the game for the small globe
Three other French people qualified for the second round, and Paco Rassat took a good sixth place, 85 hundredths behind the winner. Victor Muffat-Jeandet and Steven Amiez will be content with a place in the Top 20. Following this race, Timon Haugan (4th) remains at the head of the slalom World Cup and is ahead of Clément Noël and Paco Rassat by 63 and 65 points. The Norwegian is also… 445 points behind Marco Odermatt, the clear leader in the general classification (Clément Noël is 14th). The slalom racers will now be able to enjoy the holidays, before returning to the poles on January 7 at Madonna di Campiglio.
WORLD CUP (M) / ALTA BADIA (ITALY)
Final ranking – Monday December 22, 2025
1- Atle Lie McGrath (NOR) in 1’44″50
2- Clément Noël (FRA) at 0″30
3- Loïc Meillard (SUI) at 0″39
4- Timon Haugan (NOR) at 0″53
5- Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRE) at 0″64
6- Paco Rassat (FRA) at 0″85
7- Tanguy Nef (SUI) at 0″93
8- Eduard Halleberg (FIN) at 0″95
9- Oscar Andreas Sandvik (NOR) at 0″96
10- Alex Vinatzer (ITA) at 1″01
…
16- Victor Muffat-Jeandet (FRA) at 1″25
19- Steven Amiez (FRA) at 1″48
…
Disqualified : Marco Schwarz (AUT)
