Loïc Meillard of Switzerland secured gold in the men’s slalom at the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Austria, on . The victory came after Norway’s Atle Lie McGrath straddled a gate during his second run, relinquishing the lead he held after the first run.
Meillard finished with a total time of 1 minute 54.02 seconds, edging out McGrath by 0.26 seconds for the gold. Linus Strasser of Germany claimed the bronze medal, finishing 0.52 seconds behind Meillard. Austria’s Manuel Feller, the current Slalom World Cup champion, narrowly missed the podium, finishing fourth, just 0.27 seconds behind Strasser.
This marks Meillard’s first individual gold medal at a World Championships, adding to his already impressive haul at this year’s event which includes gold in the team combined and a bronze in the giant slalom. This proves also the first time a Swiss skier has won gold in the men’s slalom at the World Championships in 75 years, with the last victory coming from Georges Schneider in 1950.
The race saw several notable setbacks. Olympic champion Clement Noel, who led after the first run, failed to finish his second run after losing balance near the end of the course. Several other competitors also struggled, including Italian skier Alex Vinatzer, whose race lasted only 23 seconds after a fall during the first run. Vinatzer’s performance caps a disappointing Olympics for the Italian, following difficulties in the combined team event and a fall in the giant slalom.
Tommaso Sala, another Italian skier, also failed to complete the first run, hampered by heavy snowfall and poor visibility. Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, the gold medalist in the giant slalom, also suffered a fall but was uninjured. Tobias Kastlunger also did not finish his run.
Despite the challenges, Tommaso Saccardi delivered a strong performance for Italy, finishing tenth in the first run with a time 2.23 seconds behind McGrath. Saccardi’s result provided a bright spot for the Italian team after the earlier disappointments.
Meillard’s triumph contributed to a highly successful World Championships for Switzerland, which matched its best-ever performance with a total of 13 medals – five gold, five silver, and three bronze – a record previously set by Austria in 1999. Alongside Meillard’s achievements, Marco Odermatt won gold in the super-G, Franjo von Allmen took gold in the downhill, and Camille Rast secured gold in the women’s slalom.
The success of the Swiss team has raised expectations for the future, particularly as Switzerland prepares to host the World Championships in Crans-Montana in 2027. Alpine director Hans Flatscher emphasized the importance of continued hard work, stating, “The world championships start at zero,” and highlighting the strong team spirit as a key factor in their success.
Meillard acknowledged the challenging nature of slalom racing and expressed his surprise at the outcome. “You never wish to win with an ‘out’ for someone else,” he said, referring to McGrath’s unfortunate fall. “It’s crazy. I know slalom can be tough and sometimes so many people can ski fast, so that it worked out today, it’s incredible.”
Looking ahead to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, Meillard and Odermatt are considered strong contenders for medals. Odermatt, despite his fourth-place finish in Schladming on , remains the overall leader in World Cup points and is favored to win gold in the giant slalom, super-G, and downhill. Should he achieve this, he would become the first skier in history to win all three events at a single Winter Olympics.
The Schladming race also saw Alban Elezi Cannaferina of France secure his first World Cup podium finish, while McGrath’s silver medal was particularly meaningful after recovering from a cruciate ligament tear that kept him out of the 2023 World Championships.
