Unheralded French skier Paco Rassat secured his inaugural World Cup victory on Saturday in Gurgl, Austria, by dominating the second slalom of the Olympic season with an impressive second run. Rassat’s win followed his recent sixth-place finish in the season-opening slalom in Levi, Finland, just six days prior. Expressing his disbelief, Rassat shared with Austrian TV, “I never thought this could happen.”
With the Milan Cortina Winter Games less than three months away, Rassat’s timing for this breakthrough victory couldn’t have been better. Eager to qualify for the Olympics, he stated, “My current focus is on performing well in the World Cup events to secure my spot at the Olympics.”
Competing under cold yet sunny conditions in the Austrian Alps, Rassat initially stood 14th after the first run. However, he delivered a remarkable second run, finishing 0.07 seconds ahead of Armand Marchant from Belgium, who claimed the country’s first podium in Alpine skiing’s World Cup. Atle Lie McGrath from Norway, the leader after the first run, dropped to third, trailing Rassat by 0.09 seconds.
Ecstatic about his victory, Rassat exclaimed, “This is unbelievable!” He outpaced all other racers in the final run by 0.27 seconds, making his dream a reality. A son of a ski instructor, Rassat began skiing at a young age. Specializing in the slalom discipline, he made his World Cup debut in January 2022 and achieved his first top-10 result three years later in Wengen, Switzerland.
Rassat, who turned 27 last week, expressed immense joy at having his parents witness his triumph, highlighting their roles as his first coach and club supporter. His victory propelled him to the top of both the slalom and overall standings after three events. While Marco Odermatt, the four-time overall champion, won the season’s opening giant slalom, he does not compete in slaloms.
Finnish talent Eduard Hallberg, who shared second place after the first run, lost his balance and fell before the finish, missing out on a podium finish. Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil, who claimed the country’s first Alpine skiing World Cup win last week, finished 10th, and French Olympic champion Clement Noel placed 12th.
The men’s World Cup will continue with its first speed race of the season, a super-G in Copper Mountain, Colorado, following the women’s slalom event on the same hill scheduled for Sunday.