Nice was in the spotlight this Saturday at the World Alpine Ski Championships in Val d’Isère, with two women from the French Riviera starting in the ladies’ slalom on the legendary Bellevarde face. While Marion Bertrand managed the 24th fastest time in the first run, she unfortunately did not finish the second run after missing a gate just meters from the finish line.
The results were much better for Nastasia Noens, who achieved a remarkable 13th place, just 2.49 seconds behind Germany’s Maria Riesch, the new world slalom champion, in her debut World Championship appearance. She qualified at the last minute thanks to a recent 21st place in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Born in Nice in 1988, the daughter of a former member of the French water polo team, Nastasia Noens has been a member of the Inter Club Nice since her youth.
“This is a great source of pride for Nice and further proof of the credibility of organizing the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics in our region,” declared Christian Estrosi a few minutes after this excellent result. The Deputy Mayor of Nice, who came to support Nastasia Noens, then accompanied the young woman from Nice as she received congratulations from the President of the French Republic, Nicolas Sarkozy, who was also present at Val d’Isère.
