Noel edges Zenhaeusern in slalom for 4th career win

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Clement Noel came from behind to win the first men’s World Cup slalom of 2020, sending him to the top of the discipline standings.

The French skier was fourth after the opening leg but, watched by 8,000 spectators on the Sljeme hill, he edged first-run leader Ramon Zenhaeusern of Switzerland by 0.07 seconds for his first win of the season and fourth overall.

Alex Vinatzer of Italy was 0.29 back in third for his first career podium result.

“It’s really amazing,” Noel said. “The race was really, really perfect. There are so many people here and the atmosphere was incredible. What a way to start 2020.”

Austria’s Mario Matt, who was second behind Zenhaeusern after the first leg, failed to finish his final run.

Henrik Kristoffersen and Alexis Pinturault, who won the two previous slaloms this season, both failed to recover from disappointing opening runs and finished 19th and ninth, respectively.

Noel started the season by finishing runner-up to Kristoffersen in Levi in November but skied out of the first run of his “home” slalom in Val d’Isere last month.

“In Val d’Isere it was a big disappointment,” Noel said. “I wanted not a revenge but to cross the finish line is a good point, especially when you win the race.”

The 22-year-old Frenchman had his breakthrough in the final two months of last season.

Having not been on a World Cup podium before, he finished runner-up in Adelboden in January before winning races in Wengen, Kitzbuehel and Soldeu.

Noel went top of the slalom standings with 180 points, five clear of Olympic champion Andre Myhrer, who placed fourth Sunday.

Kristoffersen, who was leading going into the race, dropped to fourth.

Armand Marchant of Belgium posted the fastest time in the second run and finished a career-best fifth.

Marchant returned this season from a long-term injury lay-off. He broke his shin in several places in a crash at the Adelboden giant slalom in January 2017 and needed surgery seven times.

The race on the outskirts of the Croatian capital is the first slalom in a series of six over the next 23 days, with further stops in Italy, Switzerland and Austria.

___

More AP sports: https://apnews.com/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports