Bormio (Italy) (AFP) – Switzerland's Loïc Meillard was crowned Olympic slalom champion Monday in Bormio ahead of Austrian Fabio Gstrein (+ 35/100th) and Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen (+ 1.13), and won his third Olympic medal after silver in the team combined and bronze for the giant.

Published on: 02/16/2026 - 3:01 p.m.

The 2022 Olympic champion Clément Noël rode in the second round and completed a catastrophic day for the Blues of alpine skiing, after the abandonment of Paco Rassat in the first round and the poor performance of Steven Amiez (18th). The French (men) in alpine skiing conclude their Olympics without a medal, a first since 2010.

World champion in 2025, Loïc Meillard ends his 2026 Olympics with the most beautiful metal, after silver in the team combined, in pairs with Marco Odermatt, and bronze in the giant.

Second in a first round as daunting (snowfall) as it was improbable, with many big names coming off the track, Meillard was one of the few to hold on in the first round without faltering in the second.

The Norwegian Atle Lie McGrath, world No.1 since the start of winter and brilliant in the first round (which he won with more than half a second ahead of Meillard), broke down while riding as he was heading towards Olympic gold, finally won by the Swiss.

The day was catastrophic for the French with the withdrawals of Clément Noël and Paco Rassat, who represented the last, and greatest, medals for the Blues in alpine skiing.

Paco Rassat (3 podiums, 2 World Cup victories this winter) rode in the second heat like Léo Anguenot, while Clément Noël made a mistake in the second. The only Frenchman classified, Steven Amiez finished 18th, 3 seconds 98 behind Meillard.

This is a huge disappointment for the Blues (men) who end their Olympics without a medal, a first since the 2010 Games in Vancouver but the second time in a row in major championships, after the zero points at the Worlds in Saalbach in 2025.

Among the women, Romane Miradoli saved the overall record of French alpine skiing with silver in super-G, before the women's slalom on Wednesday.

© 2026 AFP

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