Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Reigning World Cup champion Marco Odermatt clinched his first win of the season, taking top spot in the super-G at Beaver Creek on Saturday. The Swiss star, who won a third straight World Cup overall title as well as the downhill, super-G, and giant slalom titles last season, powered down the Birds of Prey course in a time of 1:09.41 to finish 0.18 seconds ahead of France’s Cyprien Sarrazin. Austria’s Lukas Feurstein finished third, 0.47 seconds behind, taking the third place on the podium ahead of Italy’s Giovanni Franzoni and Norway’s Fredrik Moeller, who were tied for fourth place.
Five of the first seven starters skied out as racers struggled with the line on a challenging course in the first Super-G of the year. But after Sarrazin had shown the way, Odermatt delivered a trademark aggressive run, taking on the sharp turns with the tightest of lines. Odermatt, who finished second to compatriot Justin Murisier in Friday’s downhill, was delighted to get back on top of the podium.
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The 27-year-old said he was glad to have had a higher bib to check out some of the earlier runners but added that he wasn’t impacted by seeing so many rivals fail to finish. “No, not really, because I had a very clear plan in my mind, and all the DNFs somehow showed me that my plan was right,” he said. “So this also gives you some confidence, even if they are also the best skiers in the world. Usually, not that many DNFs happen, but I just had to focus on myself,” he added.
Odermatt will be looking to cement his position at the top of the overall standings with another strong showing in Sunday’s Giant Slalom. “After I didn’t finish in Solden (in Giant Slalom), it was a very important weekend for me. So with two podiums, one victory like this, hopefully, I can take all the energy for one more GS tomorrow,” he said.
Sarrazin said he enjoyed jousting with Odermatt for top spot, just a day after his disappointing ninth-place finish in the downhill. “It’s not just him, but it’s cool to find those feelings and battle with Marco; these are good times that will stay with me for life, with such a strong and nice guy,” said the Frenchman. “It is a relief; it’s good for my confidence, even if it wasn’t perfect. Marco also told me that he didn’t have the best feeling in a race that wasn’t easy. We skied on the edge, which is what we had to do,” he added.
Odermatt has fond memories of Beaver Creek – his first ever World Cup race victory came in the Super-G at the Colorado course, and this is his third victory here. France’s Alexis Pinturault finished in tenth place in his return to action. The Olympic and two-time world Alpine combined champion was back in action for the first time since rupturing his ACL at Wengen in January.
© 2024 AFP
