In 1990 Vidal won the Trofeo Topolino . In the following years he first took part in FIS races and in the European Cup. On January 3, 1998, he started for the first time in a World Cup race , the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora , but did not reach the goal. In 1999 he took part in the Winter Universiade in Jasná and won the gold medal in the giant slalom and the bronze medal in the slalom.
In the 2001/02 season, the previously little-known Vidal made his breakthrough to the top of the world. As ninth of the Aspen slalom , he took his first World Cup points on November 25, 2001. Just one day later, he achieved his first podium finish at the same location. After all, he celebrated his first victory on December 22, 2001 in Kranjska Gora . Vidal qualified for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City . In the Olympic slalom race he set the clear best time in the first run, was able to defend his lead in the second run and finally won the gold medal ahead of Sébastien Amiez and Benjamin Raich . At the end of the season he finished fifth in the Slalom World Cup.
In the following winter of 2002/03 Vidal reached a podium only once, at the 2003 World Championships in St. Moritz he was eliminated in both slalom and giant slalom. The results of the winter 2003/04 and 2004/05 were similarly mixed, in each of which a fifth place stood out above the otherwise mediocre results. His decision to only compete in slalom races was initially unsuccessful. However, winning the bronze medal in the team competition at the 2005 World Cup in Bormio indicated an upward trend.
Vidal returned to the top in the 2005/06 season. After being placed four times in the top ten, he won the Hahnenkamm Slalom in Kitzbühel on January 22nd, 2006 . Vidal was one of the most popular favorites ahead of the 2006 Winter Olympics . One day before the Olympic slalom in Sestriere , however, he fell while free skiing and broke his left arm, making a start impossible. Vidal then announced his immediate retirement from top-class sport.
France
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