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Alpine skiing-Pinheiro Braathen wins Levi slalom ahead of Noel
Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen won the men’s World Cup slalom in Levi, Finland, extending his winning start to the season to two races. The victory matters as he repeated his Levi win from last season and added to Brazil’s growing presence in ski racing.
France’s Clément Noël finished 0.56 seconds behind, with Switzerland’s Loïc Meillard third, 0.73 seconds off the pace. Pinheiro Braathen held a 0.65-second lead after the first run and gave up only 0.09 seconds to Noël in the second; the Olympic giant slalom champion now has 10 World Cup wins, including five in slalom. The next chance for Noël to challenge him comes at Gurgl, Austria, next Sunday.
In short
- Pinheiro Braathen won his second race of the season.
- Noël finished 0.56 seconds behind in Levi.
- The Brazilian now has 10 World Cup victories.
Explained simply
The Alpine skiing World Cup is a series of races held across the winter, with skiers competing for points and race wins. In slalom, competitors race down a steep course through closely spaced gates, making quick turns; each skier completes two runs, and the times are added together.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen represents Brazil, while Clément Noël races for France and Loïc Meillard for Switzerland. Pinheiro Braathen previously competed for Norway before switching to Brazil, giving the country a growing presence in a sport long associated with European nations.