Rassat's rise continues with Adelboden Slalom victory

Paco Rassat (FRA/Head) won an incredibly tight Adelboden Slalom on Sunday as his impressive rise continued with a third World Cup podium of the season.

Rassat had only one top-10 result in 34 Slalom World Cup starts coming into this campaign, but he won the Gurgl Slalom in November and came third in Madonna di Campiglio last time out. And now with his victory in a time of 1:51.22 on Sunday on the same slope where he made his World Cup debut in 2022, he becomes the first male skier to win more than one Slalom World Cup race this season and announce himself as a strong contender for Olympic Games gold at Milano Cortina 2026.

"I can't believe I have won here in Adelboden. Yesterday I saw Leo (Anguenot) on the podium here on the GS. The atmosphere is just incredible, thank you very much everybody for your support," the Head skier said.

"It's my first points here in Adelboden; four races here with DNFs.

"It was my first World Cup start here in Adelboden four years ago, and today to be in front of this amazing crowd is just amazing. I'm so, so happy."

The race was a predictably tight affair, with second-place Atle Lie McGrath (NOR/Head) only 0.18 seconds behind the Frenchman, and compatriot Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR/Van Deer) two tenths of a second behind Rassat in third. That finish represented a 99th career World Cup podium for Kristoffersen, who is now two away from Marc Girardelli (LUX) in third on the all-time list of men's World Cup podiums.

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (BRA/Atomic) and Manuel Feller (AUT/Atomic) rounded off a remarkably tight top five, with the latter only 0.38 seconds behind Rassat's pace.

Despite Rassat's victory, his day on the Chuenisbärgli was not without its troubles. He made an error coming into a gate in the final stretch of his first run, but was quick enough thereafter to recover and finish fourth fastest at the halfway stage. He showed no nerves as a result of that error in his second run as he navigated the bottom of the course in lightning fashion, and though others would make time up on the Frenchman at various points in the race, none could live with his pace in that final stage of the course.

"I tried to ski better on the steep part where I made a mistake during the first run," Rassat said.

"I tried to ski cleaner on that part and really push on the flats to try and get some speed and really attack because it was really dark during the second run. I tried to give it everything.

"I'm feeling good. The steep parts, I think I have good technique to attack these parts."

The 27-year-old has now taken the lead in the Slalom World Cup standings from Timon Haugan (NOR/Van Deer), who recorded a DNF on his second run to drop to third in the rankings, one place below Clement Noel (FRA/Dynastar) who came tied-eighth in Adelboden.

McGrath, meanwhile, retains a quite unique record at the Adelboden Slalom, having recorded two DNFs and now three second-place finishes in five outings on the iconic slope.

"To only be two tenths behind attacking Rassat is incredible," McGrath said.

"Paco skied so well. I heard it at the start; one thing about the French coaches is they cheer louder than anyone else at the start when the race is still going on, so I knew Paco took the lead by quite a bit!

"I had to push and I pushed. It just wasn't enough today but still to be on the podium at Adelboden for a third time is very special."

McGrath said Rassat is setting the pace for others to follow in Slalom this season, but has vowed to "push hard" to keep his opponent on his toes.

"I have grown for sure over the summer. I feel like I've become more stable, my base level is more stable," McGrath said.

"It's more just about really taking the chance when you get it to actually try and win.

"That's what Paco is doing, he's skiing with full risk and he's in great shape. I need to push hard to beat him and keep up."