Swiss skiing sensation Marco Odermatt claimed his maiden victory in Kitzbuhel on Friday, conquering the iconic Austrian resort’s challenging super-G course. This marked his 44th career World Cup win, solidifying his dominance over the past three seasons. Odermatt had previously failed to finish better than second in 10 attempts on the notorious circuit.
“For me, it was a very solid race. I tried to be clever, that’s what was needed today,” Odermatt said to Austrian TV. “I think in every section of the course some racers were faster than me, but a race is about who is the fastest from top to bottom.”
Austria’s Raphael Haaser finished just 0.11 seconds behind Odermatt in his return race after a six-week injury hiatus. Swiss racers Stefan Rogentin and Franjo von Allmen secured third and fourth places, respectively. Canada’s Cam Alexander and Jack Crawford achieved strong results, finishing fifth and eighth.
The race was marred by multiple crashes, including a severe accident involving France’s Alexis Pinturault, who was airlifted off the course with a suspected knee injury. Pinturault’s crash occurred after hitting a gate mid-turn, cutting short his eighth race since returning from an 11-month injury recovery.
“So many crashes, especially Alexis again, that hurts,” Odermatt remarked, explaining his strategy to take a safer, rounder line through the icy section.
Odermatt’s win extended his lead in both the overall and super-G discipline standings, making him the season’s only skier with two super-G victories. Notably, his closest rivals in the discipline, Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr and Norway’s Fredrik Moeller, missed the race following crashes the previous week in Wengen.
The super-G opened the 85th edition of the Hahnenkamm races, which will continue with a downhill on Saturday and a slalom on Sunday.
Source: Swifteradio.com
