Olympic ski champion Noel leads season’s 1st World Cup slalom; Hirscher fails to qualify for 2nd run

By The Associated Press

France's Clement Noel speeds down the course during an alpine ski, men's World Cup slalom, in Levi, Finland, Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Marco Trovati]

LEVI, Finland (AP) — Olympic champion Clement Noel has posted the fastest time in the opening run of the first men’s World Cup slalom of the season. Record eight-time overall champion Marcel Hirscher failed to qualify for the second run. Noel overcame what looked like a costly mistake when he had to brake in the steep middle section of the Levi Black course and edged out Swiss allrounder Loic Meillard by 0.02 seconds. Noel’s French teammate Steven Amiez was 0.21 behind in third. Hirscher finished 2.59 off the lead and outside the top 30 in his first slalom race in 2,072 days.