Before the race in Adelboden, Loïc Meillard has raced to the podium in four out of five slaloms this season. At his home race, of all places, the man with the red bib number is eliminated after a single thread.
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- Loïc Meillard, who was leading the slalom rankings going into the race, drops out in the first run.
- It's "painful" when you don't reach the finish, especially in Adelboden. But that's part of the sport. You can ski well in the slalom and still be eliminated.
- However, Meillard is not fazed by his failure. He simply has to carry on as before.
Despite back problems, Loic Meillard has delivered like no other in the slalom this season. 3rd place in Levi, 5th place in Gurgl, 3rd place in Val-d'Isère, 2nd place in Alta Badia, 2nd place in Madonna di Campiglio. The 28-year-old will start the home race on the Chuenisbärgli with the red start number that the leader of the discipline rankings always wears. However, another top result failed to materialize, Meillard got caught up in the first run and was eliminated.
In the SRF interview, Meillard says: "It hurts. Especially in Adelboden, it's always a bit painful when you don't reach the finish." So far this season, "everything has gone well", but you can always be eliminated in the slalom. "Unfortunately, it's a discipline that's really unfair. You can ski perfectly and then get caught out, that's part of the sport."
When asked about the fact that he was once again going fast until his retirement, he says that this is not helping him to digest his retirement today. But he's not worrying about the drop-out either: "Dropping out once doesn't mean we have to change everything, it doesn't mean things aren't going well." Meillard is certain that he simply has to keep skiing the way he has been and then things will turn around.
The next slalom will take place next Sunday (January 19) in Wengen. However, Meillard is already back in action tomorrow. In the giant slalom classic on the Chuenisbärgli, a podium finish for Meillard would be a surprise given his giant slalom results so far this winter. However, he is certainly capable of an exploit, provided his back allows it, which is even more of a problem for him in the giant slalom than in the slalom.
