The favorites for the slalom World Cup: Kristoffersen and Noel step in front of everyone, but the highest level

Eighth date to analyze, discipline by discipline, the next white circus season with our "5 + 5".

Saturday 19 October 2019 12 minutes reading time

And the fight for the crystal ball in the men's slalom promises to be really interesting, also because of the absence of the one who had won 6 of the last 7 World Cups of specialty, or Marcel Hirscher. From Henrik Kristoffersen to ClÃ©ment Noel, passing by the super Swiss couple formed by Zenhaeusern and Yule, the rediscovered Pinturault and the Austrian patrol, it will be really fun. With the Azzurri who want to return to the podium after two years of fasting ... YOUNG PEOPLE AT THE Ramp 1.Henrik Kristoffersen: it is true, he finished in fifth place in last year's Cup ranking, his worst slalom placement since the season of his explosion, the one that saw him finish already on the specialty podium (3rd) in 2013 / 14 (also winning the Olympic bronze at only 19 years). The '94 Norwegian class is the only one to have beaten Hirscher in these years, winning the cup in 2015/16, to then finish in 2nd place in the two subsequent years; above all, however, Henrik has already won the beauty of 15 times in the World Cup slalom (with another 20 podiums between second and third places), despite having always failed (except for the five-wheel debut at Sochi 2014) the appointment with the medals in the big events. His performance in the specialty has fallen over the past season, so much so that he has not won among the rapid gates since 21 January 2018, when he dominated in Kitzbuehel; it remains to be seen if the farewell of the great rival will give him further boost or will make him lose a reference. With Noel, he should have a new opponent of the highest level ... 2.ClÃ©ment Noel: it is the new one that advances, if we think that it has obtained three victories in the maximum circuit (two of which resisting Hirscher's comeback in two very classic such as Wengen and Kitz) in his first real full year in the World Cup. At the age of 20 he had already touched on the Olympic podium, but at Levi 2018 (when he came out in the 2nd round with times close to Hirscher and Kristoffersen, who won the game) everyone understood that they were dealing with an authentic phenomenon. He showed mental growth and maturity, practically failing only the first run of Schladming (after a few doors) and that of the World of Are, only to close big with the success of Soldeu that gave him the second final place in the cup of specialty behind King Hirscher. 3.Ramon Zenhaeusern: at 27, he now seems ready to gamble on it anyway, not just on easy slopes or racy tracks. On the 10th of March in Kranjska Gora, the Swiss long-distance race obtained its first slalom victory after the two centers in the Stockholm city event, literally dominating with a 2nd round to the limits of science fiction. He finished fourth, a handful of points from Yule and Noel, in a specialty classification that could have been even better (after the 6th place of the previous year, when he took the Olympic silver ... ), had it not been for a fracture to a hand that conditioned it until the beginning of 2019. 4. Daniel Yule: got the same points as Noel (551) in the 2018/19 slalom cup, finishing third in what was the season of consecration. The 26-year-old from Martigny has indeed conquered his first career success, in the incredible Campiglio slalom last December 22nd, but he took the podium (third) both in a classic like Schladming and in the final Soldeu race, proving himself ready to play it with everyone and for the entire span of the season. Difficult to fight for the crystal ball, but its specialization could help him since, parallel to each other, he dedicates himself to the slalom. 5. Alexis Pinturault: he played his best year in slalom, and it is strange to say that for someone who had already won twice in the specialty, but in remote times. In fact, the transalpine has not imposed itself since January 18, 2014 (Wengen), but last season it did really well for perseverance and quality, thanks also to a new boot that brought it back to play on Hirscher's back. He won three podiums (second in Zagreb and Schladming, third in Kitzbuehel), threw the medal (safe silver) to Are for a crash in the 2nd round, finally ending sixth in the specialty ranking. To win his first general World Cup, slalom will be the key. THE OTHER PODIUM MEN Manuel Feller got his first three podiums in the slalom of the World Cup, just in the season ended in March with the 2nd place of Soldeu, which followed the third of Zagreb and the second (again one step away from Noel) of Wengen. He alternated as usual errors to extraordinary heats, but more than in giant seems to have found a technical squaring that can lead him to finally get his first success in the maximum circuit. Had it not been for Bansko's injury, we would have clearly included Marco Schwarz in the first batch of the five favorites, given that the Carinthian has literally exploded in the 2018/19 vintage: first victories in the Cup, albeit between city event and combined, but above all a very high quality performance not always matched by the results, if we think of the forklifts of Zagreb and Adelboden after completing the 1st race in the lead. He still placed 7th in the specialty, skipping the last races of Kranjska Gora and Soldeu, with a 2nd place in Campiglio, two fifths in Kitzbuehel and Schladming, in addition to the world podium of Are. On him, the uncertainty linked to recovery reigns within the month of January, the decisive one for the slalom. The third Austrian of this second sub-group responds to the name of Michael Matt: the brother of art did not live his best season (11th in the specialty cup, after the 4th and 5th of the two previous years), but he again achieved the medal in a great event (2nd in the world championship, after the Olympic bronze), while snatching, however in a daring manner, a single podium with Campiglio's 3rd place. Loic Meillard was placed only in 16th place in the specialty ranking 2018/19, with 2nd place in Saalbach (first podium in his slalom career, after the square of honor of the previous day in giant) as the only flash of a season that has seen it decline over the winter months, but if he can manage the two disciplines well, he is a man capable of constantly fighting for the top five. Of another generation, but with the same desire as always at the 14th season in the World Cup, a Giuliano Razzoli who, between Campiglio's 5th place (with bib number 69!) And the 6th of the Soldeu finals, has finally found the summit with discreet constancy, and above all it will restart from Levi with a starting number that will allow him to play it. With the retreats of Hirscher and Neureuther, the reggiano slalom is 16th in the specialty WCSL right behind Stefano Gross: a sort of derby to reach the podium again after a long time.

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