“It’s hard to digest”: fallen in Kitzbühel, Clément Noël remains in a negative spiral

Steven Amiez rubs his eyes. In the finish area of ​​the Kitzbühel slalom, the young Frenchman is struggling to take stock of his performance of the day. At 25, four years after his World Cup debut right here in Austria, the slalom skier has just taken 6th place in the event to sign the first top 10 of his career. Added to this is the other nice surprise of the day for the French team: the 12th place of his friend Paco Rassat, with whom he has been training for eight years.

“I gave everything today and when it comes down to it, it’s a lot of emotion. I’m super proud of what I did, he confided, still moved. The last few years have been more difficult. But I’ve wanted to ski since I was little, it’s my dream. That’s nice there. » The atmosphere is completely different three meters further on. And the expression of his teammate Clément Noël, crestfallen. Olympic champion in the discipline in 2022, the Vosges native did not finish his second round, due to an error at the top of the course.

“A largely avoidable mistake”

“I’m angry with myself because I’m approaching this place badly, which isn’t difficult, but I’m rushing,” he deeply regretted. This is a technical error that is largely avoidable and I know how to avoid it. I’m angry because there was really something nice to do. It’s hard to digest. » Fifth after the first round, just over 40 hundredths behind the Swede Kristoffer Jakobsen, finally second this Sunday, Clément Noël could indeed dream of a victory, at least a podium. A performance which would have delighted the French team the day after Cyprien Sarrazin’s historic victory in the downhill.

Noël himself had aspired to it at the end of the morning. “I will try today to do honor and represent France,” he said. We will try to show the speed that slalom is there. » At that moment, he seemed in complete confidence, “at ease on the Austrian snow” in his words.

But as in Adelboden (Switzerland) at the beginning of January where he went out, this time from the first round, the 26-year-old skier missed. Without really being able to find an explanation. “Everything doesn’t fit together as it should,” he tried to justify afterwards. I can’t get the mindset fully right. Sometimes I use a little too much, sometimes I don’t use enough, sometimes I rush a little. There’s not much missing but ultimately there’s still a little bit missing. »

Objective: to relaunch in Schladming

4th in Wengen (Switzerland) last weekend, 2nd in Madonna (Italy) at the end of 2023, his only podium of the season, but without a victory for almost a year, Clément Noël is struggling to find his best level. In 2019, 2020 and 2021, he was regularly one of the very best in his discipline, which allowed him to be in the running for the World Cup ranking in his specialty. He had finished second three times (2019, 2020 and 2021) in this race for the small globe.

But since his Olympic title acquired in Beijing (China) almost two years ago, Clément Noël has lacked consistency. Already last season, he had to wait until the end of January to regain success. It was during the World Cup event in Schladming (Germany).

A site that he will return to very soon, since the German stage begins this Wednesday. The frustration of the leader of the French slalom team will perhaps allow him to bounce back. “It’s a track that I like and that suits me well, so we’re going to try to be good,” he said in the mixed zone this Sunday. And not to think too much.