Historic victory for Daniel Yule in Chamonix Kandahar

This historic edition of the Kandahar marked the 100th anniversary of the first Winter Olympics in Chamonix, the 100th anniversary of the FFS and the 100th anniversary of the FIS.

The cold, gloomy atmosphere of the 1st run gave way to a track flooded with sunshine in the 2nd run. Clément Noël (FRA), 2-time winner here, is enjoying La Verte des Houches: "It's stimulating to be back here at the Kandahar in Chamonix, it's a track that I like. It's a place that exudes the history of sport and the mountains, and it's made to host a World Cup.

And it was in front of 15,000 spectators thrilled by the performances of the French in the first run that this Kandahar 2024 came to an end, in an almost spring-like atmosphere.

Daniel Yule (SUI), one of the best slalom racers in the world, ranked 30th in the first run after making a mistake, made an incredible comeback in the second run and climbed to the top step of the podium. A historic event, never seen before in the history of a World Cup slalom!

As for Clément Noël (FRA), winner of the first run, he kept the crowds on their toes and finished in 3rd place.

Historic suspense

It was on this 624 m long Kandahar track that Clément Noël won the first act. He came out on top in a run designed by Sandy Vietze, coach of Greece's AJ Ginnis, last year's surprise winner (2nd). The Frenchman was the best on this piste, the main difficulty of which is to force skiers to create speed all the time (and of course to avoid losing speed: every mistake has serious consequences). In this respect, as in previous years, it was Clément who was the strongest: "I managed to create speed from the 2nd intermediate", before adding: "That's how I imagined my run would go".

After qualifying in extremis for the second run (30th), Switzerland's Daniel Yule won the 2024 edition of the Kandahar here in Chamonix Mont-Blanc, taking over from his compatriot Ramon Zenhäeusern. The skier from Valais, ranked 3rd in the world, dominated this second run after "already seeing himself in the hotel after the first run". He pulled off a historic comeback (a World Cup first) to win ahead of Loïc Meillard (+ 0.16s) and Clément Noël (+ 0.18s). The Frenchman achieved "the most accomplished race of his season". "I'm a bit frustrated because it was a great race and I'm only 3rd! But I'm happy to be on the podium!

A challenge met and a popular success!

Frédéric Comte, Director of the Club des Sports de Chamonix: "The success of the event is a reward for the work of the 600 volunteers and everyone involved in this Kandahar".

It took all the expertise of piste managers Tony Angiboust and Thomas Grandclément to optimise the conditions and give the world's best athletes the chance to express themselves 100%. Buoyed by the unfailing experience of the Club des Sports (since 1948!), headed by Fred Comte, and the energy of hundreds of volunteers, the Chamonix Valley's great skiing festival once again offered its magic to 15,000 spectators!