Belgian skier achieves a historic feat

The second World Cup ski meeting of the season took place in Gurgl, Austria, where the slalom course proved a success for Armand Marchant.

The 27-year-old Belgian, who already held the country's best Alpine skiing record, including fifth place in the 2020 Zagreb slalom and a magnificent tenth place in the slalom at the 2021 World Championships, has just achieved an even more impressive feat in Austria.

After finishing 9th in the first run, he set the second fastest time in the second run to claim the first World Cup podium spot of his career. This is a wonderful achievement for a skier from a non-Alpine country such as Belgium.

The skier from Thimister (Liège province) is finally reaping the rewards of his perseverance after ten years of international competition punctuated by major physical setbacks, including more than two years' absence following a serious knee injury sustained on the slopes of Adelboden, Switzerland, which required no fewer than seven operations.

This is an exceptional display of resilience from this Belgian who, before this race, had only reached the World Cup Top 10 on three occasions: Zagreb (Croatia) in 2020, Val d'Isère (France) in 2021 and Schladming (Austria) in 2025.

"I feel so many emotions. I'm so happy. It's been incredibly difficult. I've had a lot of injuries, but I've fought hard to make my dream come true. It's for days like these that we work. In the end, I can say it was worth it," he told Eurosport after the finish.

Armand Marchant is the best Belgian skier in history!