The skier from Nice, Nastasia Noëns, participated yesterday in the Special Slalom of the World Championships in Schladming (Austria). She finished in 19th place, far behind the American Mikaela Shiffrin. Also taking a look back at the performance of Marion Bertrand from Grasse and Mathieu Faivre, who was also born in Nice.
For all alpine skiers, the World Championships, like the Olympic Games, are a great opportunity to shine on the international stage. On the Austrian slopes of Schladming, the downhill, slalom or giant slalom skiers left their mark on the two weeks at the Styrian ski resort. Among all these glide enthusiasts, four people from the Azure Coast: The most Niçoise of Niçoises, Nastasia Noëns, bib number 22 in the special slalom this Saturday, proudly wearing the “Nice Côte d’Azur” on her helmet, Marion Rolland from the Auron ski club, and Mathieu Faivre.
But, no miracle yesterday for the young 24-year-old woman. Nastasia Noëns believes she had a bad race and lacked rhythm from the first run of the slalom. She was 23rd with a 2.59-second delay behind the Swedish Frida Hansdotter after the first run, but managed to climb three places during the final run to finish 19th (in 2011 she had finished 9th). She ended 2.81 seconds behind the new World Champion, Mikaela Shiffrin. At just 17 years old and in her second year among the seniors, the young American impressed once again by beating experienced skiers. Michaela Kirchgasser and Frida Hansdotter completed the podium. The World Cup leader in the discipline, Shiffrin, made a strong impression again after her victories in Åre, Zagreb, and Flachau. It seems unlikely that the native of Vail, Colorado, would let the small crystal globe in the discipline slip away.
For Nastasia Noëns, who won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships in Formigal, Spain, entering the world of seniors is a gradual transition for the skier from Nice. She scored 20 points in the World Cup slalom in 2009, 87 in 2010, 277 in 2011—her best season (finishing 8th in the World Cup Overall ranking and 24th in the General ranking)—and 226 in 2012, a great performance after coming back from a shoulder injury. The skier from Nice is not experiencing the same success this year.
While in the 2011-2012 season, she achieved notable finishes with a fifth place in Flachau (Austria), a fourth place just off the podium in Soldeu-Grandvalira (Andorra), or seventh position in Courchevel, the 2013 campaign is much more challenging. Her best performance is a 16th place in Flachau. She can no longer aim for high achievements in the World Cup but might pick up a few points in the last two rounds in Ofterschwang (Germany) and Lenzerheide (Switzerland) on March 10 and 16.
Another skier from the Azure Coast participated in these World Championships; it was Marion Bertrand. The Auron ski club member finished 16th in the giant slalom, won by her compatriot Tessa Worley, and 22nd in the super G. The native of Grasse is in 29th place in the overall World Cup standings (184 points) with notable finishes in downhill events, including a fourth place at Cortina d’Ampezzo on January 19.
For the only male in the group, it was a trial run. The just-about-20-year-old was participating in his first World Championships. But don’t be mistaken, the Nice-born skier has already won the junior world title in slalom in 2010. Yet, the gap between junior and senior levels is still too wide. The proof is in his impressive 21st place in the giant slalom. A promising talent for future Olympic and world events.
