Levi is a beloved destination for both skiers and fans, as it usually acquires a winter fairy-tale look as early in the season as November. However, this year, the autumn weather was very warm and humid preceding the races, and then it suddenly turned very cold. Thus, the surface was rather icy underneath a thin layer of snow. Though the temperature remained below zero even during the day, the snow was not as firm and icy as is typical for this venue. Such conditions posed a challenge mainly for the technicians to prepare the skis, as mild snow drizzle continued to fall all weekend.
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Both Saturday and Sunday races ran under the blanket of fog. The visibility was so challenging that the athletes had trouble going fast, especially in the middle parts of the race course. Levi is typical for its tricky light conditions because it lies beyond the Arctic Circle. So, together with the fog, both races resembled night events, and artificial light accompanied both races from beginning to end.
Ladies Race: The Queen and her 8th Reindeer
In her interviews preceding Sölden, Mikaela Shiffrin proclaimed she experienced the best summer preparation. Although her performance in the giant slalom in Sölden did not confirm this, after Levi, we can safely say that the queen is back. Shiffrin already had seven reindeer in her little flock in Lappland; now, she adds an eight to the group, as it is an honor reserved for the winner in Levi to name a reindeer.
Shiffrin demolished the competition, winning both runs with a substantial lead. Austria’s Katherina Liensberger ranked second, confirming the superb form she hinted at in Sölden. Germany’s Lena Durrer continues climbing the performance ladder and ranked third in Levi. The tricky conditions might be at fault for the higher number of DNFs in the ladies´ competitions.
Men Race: Clement Noel gets his 1st Reindeer
The Frenchman Clement Noel hoped to win in Levi in 2019, the last season men raced here. Then, he lost to Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR). This year, he would not let anyone take the victory from him, not even Kristoffersen, who managed to get in the leader´s chair in the second run after ranking 11th after the first run. In the final moments, Noel stood on the top of the mountain, waiting for the beep announcing his start, Kristoffersen holding the red chair for the leading athlete, nervous as always, hoping secretly that Noel would not keep his calm.
But this time, Noel used his nerves of steel, looking completely relaxed and confident before the start, and he smashed the competition, retaining a lead of 0,80 seconds. Henrik Kristoffersen had to be happy with his second place, while Loic Meillard (SUI) certainly was delighted with his third place. Meillard suffered a back injury in training in Sölden and missed the beginning of the season. Now, it seems that Meillard is back stronger than ever.
Manuel Feller, last year’s slalom champion, was definitely not happy with his result because this weekend, he added one more DNF to the one he achieved in Sölden. The Croatian slalom team was surprised with an excellent outcome; all three of them, Istok Rodes, Samuel Kolega, and Filip Zubcic, finished in the top 30, Kolega and Zubcic even fitting into the top ten. The top ten results worth celebrating were also achieved by the Swiss Tanguey Nef (5), the French Steven Amiez, and, of course, the Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who skis as if he had no break at all.
Marcel Hirschers (NED) comeback did not go as planned in Levi. He enjoyed his time with his three reindeer but did not make it into the second run. After the surprisingly good ride in Sölden, his slalom comeback was below everybody´s expectations. For a slalom skier, a four-year break and loss of flexibility seem to make superb results in races close to impossible. But who knows? The season has just started.
- Related post: Race Preview: Levi Slalom Weekend 16th and 17th November
