Arizona Tribune - Noel takes narrow lead after Alta Badia slalom first run

NYSE - LSE
CMSC 0.41% 21.99 $
JRI 1.76% 12.52 $
BCC -1.03% 75.08 $
NGG 2.58% 86.84 $
RIO 1.6% 94.81 $
AZN 1.75% 200.73 $
BTI -1% 57.89 $
BCE 0.55% 25.38 $
RBGPF -19.57% 69 $
GSK 1.43% 55.99 $
BP -1.8% 46.17 $
CMSD 0.23% 22.15 $
RYCEF 3.52% 15.64 $
RELX 0.24% 33.23 $
VOD 0.73% 15.13 $
Noel takes narrow lead after Alta Badia slalom first run
Noel takes narrow lead after Alta Badia slalom first run / Photo: Stefano RELLANDINI - AFP

Noel takes narrow lead after Alta Badia slalom first run

Olympic champion Clement Noel showed signs of a return to top form ahead of the Winter Games, setting the fastest time in the first run of the World Cup slalom in Alta Badia on Monday.

Text size:

The Frenchman edged out Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath by just 0.09 seconds, with Switzerland's Loic Meillard in third, 0.26secs off the pace.

The second run will be a tight battle as the top 11 — including virtually all the discipline's heavy hitters — are separated by less than a second.

With the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina starting on February 6, Noel is still chasing his first win of the winter.

He finished second in the season-opening slalom in Levi, Finland, last month and is coming off a frustrating DNF in front of his home crowd in Val d'Isere.

The second run is scheduled to start at 1230 GMT.

O.Brown--AT