The second Slalom race of the 2025–26 World Cup season was today, November 22, in Gurgl, Austria, delivering one of the most unexpected podiums in recent memory. Slalom races are decided over two runs on separate courses, with the combined time determining the final standings—and today that format produced fireworks.
France’s Paco Rassat stunned the field by taking his first-ever World Cup win, Belgium’s Armand Marchant claimed a historic second place for his country’s first podium, and Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath, the Run 1 leader, slipped to third after losing time throughout his second run. It was a day defined by underdogs rising and favourites faltering, setting the tone for a wildly unpredictable season ahead.
Run 1
Runner number one was Lucas Braathen, who had won the Slalom in Levi, Finland, last weekend. Braathen struggled on the top of the course, sliding on the steep upper section and making several mistakes. He set the early pace for Run 1 with 52.85 seconds. Second runner, Clément Noël, fared considerably better on the top section and shot into the lead but lost momentum further down the course, finishing with a time of 52.60 seconds. Henrik Kristoffersen in bib 3 could not find his form today, finishing behind both previous runners.
Then came his teammate Timon Haugan, who found the course more to his liking than his predecessor and jumped into the lead by 0.09 seconds. He did not hang onto it for long, as he was promptly unseated by a very dominant Atle Lie McGrath, who seized the top spot by an impressive 0.39 seconds. Next came Switzerland’s Loic Meillard, who was strong on the top but lost valuable time in the mid-section and could not carry enough momentum into the finish to challenge the leaders. Austria’s Fabio Gstrein in bib 7 was similarly strong early on, leading by three-tenths of a second, but like Meillard, he could not maintain his advantage on the lower section.
With the top seven down, plenty of strong skiers remained, and it didn’t take long for someone to break up the double-Norwegian lead by McGrath and Haugan. Switzerland’s Tanguy Nef, in bib 9, slotted in between the pair, just 0.17 seconds behind McGrath. Germany’s Linus Strasser in bib 11 and Austria’s Manuel Feller squeezed into the top rankings behind Haugan, but then the field quickly fell away.
But it’s not over until the last skier has gone, and with 59 starters, several athletes were still capable of shaking up the standings. One of them was Belgium’s Armand Marchant in bib 23, who skied into what was then eighth place. He was promptly bumped by Edvard Hallberg in bib 24, who showed his podium in Levi was not simply due to home advantage. The fearless Finn skied into second place, tying with Nef. Other impressive runs came from Marchant’s teammate Sam Maes, who skied into 17th with bib 38, and Austria’s Simon Rueland, who broke into 11th with bib 42, tying him with Braathen.
It was an exciting Run 1 with a very tight field and several new faces in the top 30. Only two-thirds of a second separated the top 10.
Unfortunately, Team USA did not qualify a skier for Run 2. Benjamin Ritchie in bib 18 finished 44th, while Jett Seymour in bib 41 placed 41st. Luke Winter in bib 45 slid out on the icy course, recording a DNF.
Run 2
Setting the pace for Run 2 was Italy’s Tommaso Sala, who opened with a 52.90—slightly faster than his first run. Fifth starter Dominik Raschner of Austria then put down a super-fast run, more than a second quicker than Sala, giving him a combined 1:45.25. One skier after another failed to beat his time, granting him an incredibly long stay in the leader’s seat as 11 subsequent racers fell short.
Then came France’s Paco Rassat, who weaved through the Slalom course as if cruising a gentle blue run. He undercut Raschner by 0.70 seconds with a run that proved to be both the fastest of Run 2 and the fastest combined time of the day. With 13 skiers still to go, no one—least of all the 27-year-old himself—thought it would be enough for victory. Big names remained, including Braathen, but none came close. The first who looked poised to unseat Rassat was Belgian racer Marchant, 0.31 seconds ahead on the top section, but a costly mistake wiped out his lead. He attacked the course to make up time but fell short, finishing 0.07 seconds behind Rassat.
With two skiers in the lead who had never podiumed before in a World Cup, most assumed the final podium contenders were still to come—but everyone was in for a surprise. Top-ranked skier after top-ranked skier failed to unseat the unlikely leaders. Fifth-last starter Linus Strasser carried a big lead from Run 1 but gave it all away on the top section, finishing 0.76 behind the Frenchman. Fourth-last starter Haugan had more than half a second in hand but lost most of it early; small errors in the mid-section cost him the rest, and he finished 0.29 back. Rassat’s smile grew wider with every skier crossing the finish. He held his breath as third-last racer Tanguy Nef left the gate—his first career podium seemed within reach. But Nef also lost time on the top section and finished 0.65 seconds behind, securing Rassat a podium. The Frenchman was visibly emotional, teammates and family congratulating him.
Second-last skier Eduard Hallberg shot out of the gate. His start was strong—he had the fastest top section of Run 2—and he held the lead deep into the course. Set to unseat the Frenchman, he charged down at breakneck speed, but straddled one of the final gates, ending his bid for another podium spot. Rassat and Marchant remained on the podium, their smiles brighter than the sun finally breaking through the clouds.
Then came the last skier: Atle Lie McGrath, winner of three World Cups and 17 podiums. With a 0.67-second lead, he was the clear favourite, but he bled time all the way down and finished third behind the French and Belgian underdogs. Rassat was in disbelief—he had not only claimed his first-ever podium, but had won the Gurgl World Cup. Marchant was equally stunned, celebrating not just his first podium but Belgium’s first-ever World Cup podium.
Rassat was equally stunned as he was happy, stating, “This is insane! I don’t know what to say. This is totally crazy. To win my first World Cup is just a dream come true today. It’s a very emotional day, and I’m very happy. This is insane, I don’t have words.”
It is a fantastic redemption for Marchant, who had a nearly career-ending injury in 2017. He broke his leg in 13 places during the Giant Slalom in Adelboden, Switzerland, but, despite all predictions, the Belgian staged an incredible comeback after two years of being unable to ski. He relearned to walk with the help of an exoskeleton and overcame the massive muscle atrophy in his right leg to return to skiing and qualify for the 2022 Olympics.
What a day for the underdogs in Gurgl. It keeps the season spectacularly interesting, with no clear favourites and a tight, fiercely competitive field heading into the rest of the 2025–26 season.
The FIS World Cup race weekend at Gurgl continues with the women’s Slalom tomorrow, Sunday, November 23. The men’s Slalom races take a little break and will continue in three weeks on December 14 in Val d’Isere, France.
