Armand Marchant will return to the World Cup in Levi, almost 3 years after the drama: "A new career begins"

He is already the best skier in the history of Belgium, but the 21-year-old Walloon wants much more after having risked saying goodbye to dreams.

Saturday 21 September 2019 4 minutes reading time

The story of Armand Marchant is really special and tells of a superfine talent who, at just 19 years, had already been able to get points in the World Cup, with that extraordinary 18th place in the slalom in Val d''Isere, the 11 December 2016. Then the drama that broke his career, with the fall in the Adelboden giant, January 7, 2017, costing an ordeal of over two years, going through seven surgical operations, aimed at restoring a left leg literally destroyed, with fracture of tibial plate and lesions to crusaders and meniscus. Marchant returned to the race a few weeks ago, competing in the first tests of the Australian New Zealand Cup and immediately obtaining excellent results, with three thirds in slalom, his specialty, and a surprise victory in super-g, comparing himself with athletes of good standard and already in condition. On Friday, the Belgian slalomgigant met the press of a country that sees it as the great hope to get something important in the white circus. Armand welcomed the journalists to his home in Thimister, near Liege, announcing the most important news; will return to the World Cup next November 24th, on the occasion of the first seasonal slalom in Levi. "For me, a new career begins - the words of the Walloon skier, who is based on the French Alps in the winter period - Thanks to the results in New Zealand, I climbed back to 55th place in the world slalom lists, the best position ever had also before the accident. Being the first Belgian, this opens up the possibility of having a place in the World Cup and now I can say that I will be in Levi, then I will take part in the Swedish tests that will open the European Cup in the following days. I don't do long-term programs, we'll see then race after race. " The victory in the Coronet Peak super-g also opens up other perspectives for Marchant: "So far I have always focused on technical disciplines, I only did some speed this summer. The super-g is very useful for its smoothness and sensitivity, it can become a target for the winter and I will also train for the combined one, since the World Cup races will see super-g combined with the slalom race . I would like to try to emerge in that discipline, given that there could be space, but in the meantime we think of returning to Levi ... I can't see the time ".

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