Sawt Falasteen - France's Noel leads world slalom after first run

The Olympic champion has failed to medal at three previous world championships, missing the podium by just hundredths of a second two years ago on home snow in Courchevel/Meribel.

Noel clocked 59.23 seconds down the Ulli Maier course in the Austrian resort as the French ski team, deprived of the injured experienced pair of Alexis Pinturault and Cyprien Sarrazin, look to bag their first podium.

Switzerland's Loic Meillard, a gold medal winner in the team combined alongside teammate Franjo von Allmen and a giant slalom bronze medallist, and the Norwegian pair of Timon Haugan and Atle Lie McGrath were the only other slalomers to dip under the 1min mark.

Meillard previously claimed a World Cup GS win and three second places (one in slalom, in 2018) in Saalbach.

"It's just a slope that suits me well, where I can ski fast, and that's what I keep in mind," said Meillard.

Norway's defending champion Henrik Kristoffersen sat in 11th spot, 1.59sec off Noel's pace.

Germany's Linus Strasser was fifth fastest, at 0.77sec, ahead of Austrian Manuel Feller (+1.28sec), Switzerland's Tanguy Nef and France's Steven Amiez (both +1.49sec), and Fabio Gstrein (+1.50).

Feller and Gstrein will carry Austrian hopes after Marco Schwarz skied out high up the course.

Among other big names not to make it down were Sweden's Kristoffer Jakobsen, the Norwegian duo of Alexander Steen Olsen and 2021 world champion Sebastian Foss-Solevaag, and US hope Benjamin Ritchie.

Norway-born Lucas Pinheiro Braathen will have his work cut out in his bid to win a first world medal for Brazil, having switched allegiance to the homeland of his mother after falling out with the Norwegian ski federation over sponsorship rights.

He finished ninth, at 1.51sec, with Switzerland's Daniel Yule, Britain's Dave Ryding, Italy's Stefano Gross and Croatian Filip Zubcic all within 1.89sec and with nothing to lose on the second run scheduled for 1215 GMT.

G.AbuHamad--SF-PST