Olympic slalom champion Clement Noel made a winning return from injury to claim his third World Cup win of the season in the discipline at Adelboden on Saturday.
The French skier, winner of the first two slalom races this winter, sprained his right ankle after crashing heavily in the giant slalom at home in Val d’Isere mid-December.
The 27-year-old posted the third best time in the first run in the Swiss resort and snatched victory with a combined 1min 51.53sec after the second run.
Brazilian Lucas Braathen finished second at 0.02sec with Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen third 0.14sec off the pace.
“I’m very happy to win here, where I made my first podium. It’s a legendary place, with an incredible atmosphere,” said Noel after notching up his 13th World Cup success.
He also made up for his disappointment at Madonna di Campiglio on Wednesday where he failed to finish the first run, lacking rhythm after spending the last few weeks treating his ankle.
The win puts Noel back in the race for the discipline’s globe, moving up to second place 35 points behind Kristoffersen.
