An unprecedented performance at the Alpine World Ski Championships
By taking tenth place in the slalom event at the World Championships, Armand Marchant confirmed that he is indeed the best in the history of Belgian Alpine skiing.
The performance by Armand Marchant is amazing to say the least, in a sport rarely practised in Belgium.
But the sunny slopes of Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, seemed cut out for him to perform an extraordinary feat behind the dominating Norwegian Foss-Solevåg. As he said after setting the eighth fastest time in the second heat (he had finished twelfth after the first run), "It's my best result of the season, which hasn't been easy so far. That was a great slalom, a slalom I love. We've seen a lot of sterile runs lately. Here, you needed tactics and feeling. That's where you see the see the good slalom skiers."
These are only the second World Championships in which Armand Marchant has taken part. He finished 41st in the giant slalom at Beaver Creek, Colorado, in 2015 when he was just 17 years old. His promising career was then put on hold for two years following a very serious knee injury sustained on the tracks that required no fewer than seven operations.
He achieved a great fifth place in the Zagreb slalom a year ago, on his return to the slopes. But this tenth place in the discipline's major event tastes even sweeter.
This result confirms that he is indeed the Belgian with the best Alpine ski record in history. And the Liège native can hope for further exploits in the future.