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| - France's Clement Noel notched up a third victory of the World Cup season, and his first on home snow, when he stormed to the win in Saturday's Chamonix slalom. While Noel shone in the French resort, Norway's overall World Cup leader Henrik Kristoffersen straddled a gate on the first leg and French rival Alexis Pinturault went out on the second run. In-form Swiss Daniel Yule, fastest after the first leg, also skied out in the second, unable to add to his three victories of the season. Pinturault, with a second place at the Schladming slalom and a giant slalom win in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, is now 55 points adrift of Kristoffersen after 28 races of the 44-event season. Noel is just two points off the Norwegian in the race for the small crystal globe for best slalom skier of the season. Noel, 22, clocked a combined total of 1min 41.47sec, finishing 0.21sec ahead of Norway's Timon Haugan, with Austrian Adrian Pertl taking third (+0.31). It was Noel's sixth World Cup victory, his first in France and third of the season after slalom wins in Zagreb and Wengen. Racers will pitch themselves down a parallel giant slalom in Chamonix on Sunday. rg-gf/lp/nr
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