Unheralded French skier Paco Rassat secured his maiden World Cup victory on Saturday in Gurgl, Austria, by dominating the second slalom of the Olympic season with an impressive second run. This achievement followed his sixth-place finish in the season opener in Levi, Finland, just six days prior.
Expressing his disbelief, Rassat mentioned to Austrian TV, “I never imagined this was possible.” With the Milan Cortina Winter Games approaching in less than three months, Rassat’s breakthrough could not have come at a better time. “For sure, I want to be at the Olympics. My goal at the moment is to perform on the World Cup and qualify for the Olympics,” he affirmed.
Competing in chilly yet sunny conditions in the Austrian Alps, Rassat started the final run in 14th place but delivered the fastest second-run time, clinching victory by a mere 0.07 seconds ahead of Armand Marchant, who secured Belgium’s first-ever Alpine skiing World Cup podium. Atle Lie McGrath of Norway, the first-run leader, settled for third place, trailing Rassat by 0.09 seconds.
Overwhelmed with joy, Rassat expressed, “This is insane. My dream just came true today, so this is amazing.” Born to a ski instructor, Rassat initiated his skiing journey at a young age, specializing in slalom. Making his World Cup debut in January 2022, he achieved his first top-10 result three years later in Wengen, Switzerland.
Rassat cherished the presence of his parents at the race, acknowledging, “My dad was my first coach, and my mother also worked at the club, so this is a big day for us, and I’m so, so happy to share it with them.” Celebrating his victory, Rassat soared to the top of both the slalom and overall standings after three events.
While four-time overall champion Marco Odermatt triumphed in the season-opening giant slalom, Finnish talent Eduard Hallberg and Swiss racer Tanguy Nef faced setbacks in the slalom. Hallberg, who secured Finland’s first World Cup podium in nearly 18 years last week, stumbled before the finish line, while Nef dropped to fifth place.
The men’s World Cup action continues with a super-G in Copper Mountain, Colorado, following a women’s slalom event on the same hill scheduled for Sunday.