Braathen Leads Levi Slalom After First Run; Vinatzer Is Sole Italian Qualifier

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen seized a commanding 0.65-second lead after the first run of the men’s World Cup slalom season opener on the Levi Black slope, clocking 52.69 according to ANSA.

Competing under the Brazilian flag following his high-profile departure from the Norwegian ski federation, Braathen built half his advantage over runner-up Clément Noël during the final 11 seconds of the course, as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Conditions on the Levi Black were near-perfect with a smooth and rhythmic course layout, though the track features extended flat sections rather than extreme steepness, ANSA reported. Noël finished the first run in 53.34 seconds. Austria’s Joshua Sturm claimed third place in 53.53 after starting with bib number 27, according to ANSA and OA Sport.

Atle Lie McGrath, the defending discipline cup champion, sits fourth at 0.85 seconds back, while Sweden’s William Hansson posted a 91-second-hundredths deficit after starting with bib number 47, OA Sport reported. France’s Paco Rassat stands sixth at 0.93 seconds behind the leader, followed by Great Britain’s Laurie Taylor and Olympic champion Loïc Meillard in eighth at 1.08 seconds, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport and OA Sport.

The top ten after the morning run is rounded out by Sweden’s Fabian Ax Swartz at 1.14 seconds back and Finland’s Eduard Hallberg at 1.27 seconds, OA Sport noted. A total of 65 skiers started the morning session on the Levi venue, which sits above the Arctic Circle in Finland.

Alex Vinatzer emerged as the sole Italian qualifier for the afternoon session, finishing 23rd with a time of 1:4.49, which left him 1.80 seconds behind Braathen, according to ANSA and Neveitalia. Vinatzer started with bib number 17 as the only Italian in the first group of thirty skiers, losing roughly eight tenths of a second on the steep pitch alone, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported.

“Ho sciato da… corso allenatori, pulito e preciso senza prendermi rischi” (“I skied like a ski instructor course, clean and precise without taking risks”), Vinatzer told RAI Sport, as cited by Neveitalia.

“Per la neve e la tracciatura che c’erano, si potevano togliere 4-5 decimi mettendo più cattiveria, ma negli scorsi due anni sono sempre partito male in slalom e cercavo una manche per prendere fiducia. Ho margine e a parte i primi, si può rimontare con questi distacchi.”

Tommaso Saccardi missed the top thirty cutoff by a mere 0.05 seconds, ending 31st at 2.05 seconds behind the leader after being bumped by late-starting Swedish skier Gustaf Wissting, Neveitalia reported. Edoardo Saracco skied out on the steep section, while Matteo Canins, Tobias Kastlunger, Corrado Barbera, and Matteo Bendotti failed to qualify, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport and OA Sport.

The second and decisive run of the Levi slalom is scheduled, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport and ANSA.