World champ Meillard leads season's penultimate World Cup slalom ahead of Pinheiro Braathen

HAFJELL, Norway (AP) — World champion Loic Meillard posted the fastest time in the opening run of the season's penultimate men's World Cup slalom Sunday as the Swiss skier hopes to boost his chances of winning the discipline title.

Meillard led Lucas Pinheiro Braathen by 0.34 seconds, followed by Fabio Gstrein of Austria one-tenth further back in third.

Meillard has eight top-five results without a win in slalom this season, though he took gold at the worlds in Austria in February. His sole career World Cup victory in slalom came in Aspen, Colorado a year ago.

Pinheiro Braathen aims for Brazil's first-ever triumph in a top-level ski race. In his first season back on the circuit since taking a year off and switching from the Norwegian ski federation, he has recorded four podium results.

Henrik Kristoffersen, who leads the slalom standings ahead of Clement Noel and Meillard, stood sixth with the Norwegian having 0.84 seconds to make up in the second run later Sunday.

Kristoffersen has won the slalom title three times in his career, most recently in 2022.

Noel, the Olympic slalom champion from France, was 0.52 behind Meillard in fourth.

The discipline title will likely be decided in the last race, at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho on March 27.

Last year's slalom champion, Manuel Feller, skied out in the first run, but the Austrian was already out of contention for the season title before the race.

Swiss star Marco Odermatt, who locked up the overall and giant slalom titles on Saturday, does not compete in slaloms.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

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