Gold Medal Up for Grabs in Men’s Slalom at 2022 Winter Olympics
- Norway Has Three Among Top 5 Medal Contenders
- France's Best Bet to Win Men's Slalom is Noel
- Austria, Italy Also Looking for Multiple Winners
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Norway's Lucas Braathen is silhouetted during an alpine ski, men's World Cup giant slalom, in Val D'Isere, France, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)
One of the most competitive events at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing is the men’s slalom, and the betting odds via online sportsbook Bovada certainly back that up. There are 10 skiers listed at +1600 (bet $100 to win $1,600) or less to take home the gold medal, including three Norwegians, two Austrians and two Italians.
Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen leads the way as the +450 favorite to win the gold while fellow countrymen Sebastian Foss-Solevaag (+600) and Lucas Braathen (+700) are also in the mix to earn a medal. Kristoffersen won the bronze medal in the slalom at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi and followed that up four years later with a silver in the giant slalom at Pyeongchang. Sweden’s Andre Myhrer won the gold in 2018 and then retired.
Frenchmen Hoping to Win Gold as Second Choice
France’s Clement Noel is right behind Kristoffersen on the betting board as the +500 second choice, and he is searching for his first medal in his second Winter Olympics. In 2018, the 24-year-old just missed out on a medal, finishing fourth in the slalom.
The next Frenchmen on the board is more of a long shot, Alexis Pinturault at +3300. The 30-year-old Pinturault is obviously more of a veteran based on his age and experience, previously winning the bronze in the giant slalom each of the past two Winter Olympics. He also earned a silver in the combined event at Pyeongchang.
Other Countries Have Multiple Medal Contenders
While France only has Noel and Pinturault among the Top 30 contenders to win the gold medal, there are a few other countries that have multiple skiers with a shot more near the top. Austria and France are two such countries that have more than one skier in the Top 10 in addition to Norway.
The top two Austrians are Manuel Feller (+600) and Johannes Strolz (+1400) while Marco Schwarz (+2500) and Michael Matt (+5000) are among the Top 18 as well. Matt won the bronze medal in the men’s slalom four years ago and took gold eight years ago.
Italy is pinning its hopes on Alex Vinatzer (+1000) and Giuliano Razzoli (+1600), with the latter winning the gold back in 2010 at Vancouver. Another longer shot to watch is Switzerland’s Ramon Zenhaeusern (+3300), who won the silver in 2018. Zenhaeusern’s teammates Daniel Yule (+2000) and Loic Meillard (+2500) have a chance too as two more contenders among the Top 12.
