ADELBODEN, Switzerland (AP) — Lucas Braathen set the first fastest run in a World Cup slalom on Sunday on a course that fooled several top contenders.
Braathen took a commanding 0.52sec lead over Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard, who was third in the giant slalom on Saturday. Germany’s Linus Strasser was third with 0.60 to make up in the afternoon race.
Only four riders were within a second of Braathen, including his Norway teammate Atle Lie McGrath in fifth. Norway also had Timon Haugan tied for sixth, but will be without two strong contenders in the second race.
Henrik Kristoffersen, the slalom World Cup qualifying leader, finished outside the top 30 riders who qualified for the second stage and world champion Sebastian Foss-Solevaag skied halfway.
Kristoffersen, who got the best running surface as number 1 at the start, went off the line after just 20 seconds and had to go back up the slope a few steps to resume his run. He then set the fastest split times to the finish, but finished more than four seconds behind Braathen.
Olympic champion Clément Noël started next and exited through a tricky combination of gates on the characteristically steep final slope of the historic Chuesnisbärgli hill.
Braathen leads the course where two years ago he suffered a season-ending knee injury crossing the finish line in the classic giant slalom. On his return last year, he stopped his giant slalom run nearing the drop toward the finish instead of re-tackling the slope.
“Obviously I don’t have the best history with the giant slalom at Adelboden, but the slalom has been a pretty good experience,” Braathen said on Sunday after his race. “I need to separate the two.”
The 22-year-old Norwegian has a good record in Swiss slaloms, winning in nearby Wengen last January. when he had placed 29 in the first race.
Sunday’s race began under heavy cloud cover and temperatures rising to 2 Celsius (36 Fahrenheit) to continue Europe’s unusually warm winter.
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