The rising star strikes in Adelboden

Paco Rassat is the rising star of this year's Slalom World Cup. The Frenchman added another prestigious victory to his young career on Sunday.

11 January 2026

From: cst

Paco Rassat had never finished in the points in Adelboden before in his career, but now the young Frenchman is at the very top. On his fourth attempt at the slalom on the Chuenisbärgli, the rising star of the current season not only scored his first points but also secured victory in the prestigious slalom at the traditional Swiss ski resort.

Rassat stormed to victory with a phenomenal second run (fastest time), climbing from fourth place to the top spot and leaving the two leading Norwegians, Atle Lie McGrath (2nd/+0,18 seconds) and Henrik Kristoffersen (3rd/+0,20), behind him. Kristoffersen, in particular, seemed dissatisfied, cursing furiously in the packed finish stadium.

Azzurri not in the top field

The second run promised plenty of excitement due to the close time gaps – and it certainly lived up to the hype. Numerous lead changes culminated in a victory for Rassat, who has joined the ranks of the world's elite this year. For the Frenchman, this is his second win of the season, following his triumph in Gurgl. Thanks to the 100 points he earned in Adelboden, Rassat also took over the lead in the Slalom World Cup standings from Timon Haugan, who was eliminated in the first run.

The podium: Atle Lie McGrath, Paco Rassat and Henrik Kristoffersen (from left). © APA/afp / FABRICE COFFRINI

Italy's slalom aces can only dream of such results at the moment. Alex Vinatzer, however, managed to improve his position by two places in the final run. The skier from Wolkenstein finished the Adelboden slalom in 17th place, making him the best of his team. A few points were earned by Tobias Kastlunger (27th) and Corrado Barbera (28th), who, as the skier with the highest bib number, was in the second run. Small successes in difficult times for the Azzurri.

Keywords Winter sports Alpine skiing adelboden Paco Rassat