Meillard Leads Slalom After Swiss GS Podium Sweep

Val d'Isere, France Swiss skier Loic Meillard dominated the opening run of the men's World Cup slalom on Sunday, positioning himself for a potential second victory in as many days after leading a complete Swiss sweep of the podium in Saturday's giant slalom. The 29-year-old world slalom champion clocked the fastest time on the steep course, finishing 0.05 seconds ahead of Norway's Timon Haugan in second, with Atle Lie McGrath third at 0.14 seconds back and Henrik Kristoffersen fourth at 0.43 seconds behind. Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen rounded out the top five, 0.51 seconds off the pace, while Britain's Laurie Taylor surged to seventh starting 27th.

Meillard's strong weekend performance came on the demanding Stade Olympique de Bellevarde, one of the Alpine World Cup's toughest venues, where precision and commitment were essential amid changing light and shadows in the afternoon. In Saturday's giant slalom, he overcame a fifth-place first-run finish to win overall in 2 minutes, 10.07 seconds, edging teammate Luca Aerni by 0.18 seconds for second and Marco Odermatt by 0.33 seconds for third. The result marked Meillard's fifth career giant slalom victory and halted a recent...