As it was the first time a parallel slalom event was introduced, Mathieu Faivre made history in Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy) by clinching the gold medal ahead of Filip Zubcic.
A historic day for French skiing! The French team secured its first gold medal in these World Alpine Ski Championships currently taking place in the Italian Alps. Even though he wasn’t highly anticipated by the predictors, 29-year-old Mathieu Faivre won the individual parallel slalom on Tuesday, an event making its debut in the competition.
An Emotionally Charged Day
After tense and Meillard-winning morning qualifications, it was a general surprise when the world combined champion, Marco Schwarz, saw his day end sooner than expected. This first edition was notably marked by an unsuitable regulation that caused a lot of talk. The loser of the first leg, regardless if they fell or finished a second and a half behind, was penalized with a delay that could not exceed 50 hundredths. Swiss skier Loic Meillard was victimized by this rule, ending his competition against the finalist, Zubcic.
The Azuréen (from the Côte d’Azur) truly earned his win. After easily defeating Finnish skier Tortsi in the round of 16, Austrian Fabio Gstrein then faced the incredible prowess of Mathieu Faivre. Subsequently, the draw was favorable to the Frenchman as he seriously flew through his semi-final against Alexander Schmid. The final was a sweep as he won his run on the blue course and came in first in the second round. Mathieu Faivre made short work of Filip Zubcic to reach the pinnacle and win this gold medal.
Watch Mathieu Faivre’s triumph:
The Day of Glory Has Arrived
“It’s unbelievable! I haven’t always agreed with this discipline, regarding the qualification mode, the absence of two-run heats, but I’m not going to turn down this medal,” said Mathieu Faivre after his unexpected victory. The day of consecration. Although he had already won a world title in 2017 during the team event in St. Moritz, this is the first time he has shone alone on the snowy slopes. On the World Cup circuit, his last of seven podiums dates back to October 27, 2019, in Solden (2nd place).
The Nice native had never excelled in the parallel ski format. Worse, his recent results, an 8th place this winter and a 10th place in Lech last year, did not allow for an expected victory today. Often in the shadow of Alexis Pinturault or the talented Tessa Worley, the skier who hones his skills at Isola 2000 (Alpes-Maritimes) can proudly boast of an outstanding achievement.
