Armand Marchant delivers the best Olympic performance in Belgian alpine skiing history
Finishing fifth in the Olympic slalom, Armand Marchant raised Belgium’s colours into the discipline’s elite ranks – a field usually dominated by the traditional alpine skiing nations..
During this edition of the Olympic Games, the slalom competition, held over two runs, took place in Bormio – a resort nestled in the heart of the Stelvio National Park, in the Lombard province of Sondrio.
Starting eighth in the first run, Armand Marchant clocked 57.34 seconds, delivering a remarkable fifth time, 1.20 seconds off the Norwegian leader Atle Lie McGrath and only 0.26 second behind the Austrian Fabio Gstrein in third place.
This first run, held amid heavy snowfall, led to an impressive number of racers to ski out – including the other Belgian competitor, Sam Maes. No fewer than 13 skiers in the elite category failed to finish, while several big names lost any chance of making the podium because of their significant time deficits – including the defending Olympic champion, the French Clément Noël, or the Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, who won the giant slalom event two days earlier.
In the second run, the skier from Thimister (Liège province) was unfortunately unable to raise his level and held on to his position, finishing two seconds behind the winner with a combined time of 1.55.61. Even so, it remains an outstanding performance for a skier from a non-alpine skiing nation!
After his World Cup podium, Armand Marchant confirms once again that he truly belongs among the best skiers in the world!