Beijing 2022: Clement Noel Is Olympic Slalom Champion

Today, Frenchman Clement Noel claimed the gold medal to become the slalom Olympic Champion.

Noel had previously missed out on the 2018 Olympic slalom podium by 0.04 seconds but today managed to put in two strong runs to remedy it. Starting with bib 4, he placed 6th after his first run, 0.38 seconds behind the leader. However, with a strong charge in his second run, Noel managed to clock in a total time quick enough to win and claim his first Olympic medal.

The slalom sensation of the season Johannes Strolz (AUT) clocked in the quickest time in the first run. However, he was closely followed by the Norwegian duo, Sebastian Foss-Solevaag and Henrik Kristoffersen, with only 0.06 splitting the three. The last to tackle the hill Strolz knew he needed to put in an aggressive second run to have a chance of beating Noel, however his performance wasn’t enough to claim the victory. Finishing 0.61 seconds behind the leader, Strolz wins the silver medal which is his second Olympic medal after the gold in the alpine combined.

2021 slalom World Champion, Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (NOR), finished third in his first run and managed to hold onto his spot to finish third overall. Finishing 0.70 seconds behind Noel, the Norwegian claims his first Olympic slalom podium and medal.

Johannes Strolz laid the foundations for his second medal with a great first run, which secured him the half-time lead. The 29-year-old from Vorarlberg went into the decision with a wafer-thin lead over the Norwegian duo Henrik Kristoffersen (+0.02) and world champion Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (+0.06). Strolz withstood the pressure and again showed a great run, which was enough for the silver medal in the end.

"I managed to concentrate on my things again. With a gold medal in my pocket, I knew beforehand that I would leave here as a winner. I thought about my dad again, who also won gold and silver and I'm proud that for the first time I was able to withstand the pressure as a leader on a big stage. I'm really enjoying skiing at the moment, it's just a dream." 

"What Johannes delivered today was excellent again. He's just skiing well at the moment and was able to ski freely thanks to the gold medal in the combination. That was a silver medal won, for Noël was just too good today." (head coach Andreas Puelacher)