Swiss skier Marco Odermatt after winning the World Cup giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, March 12, 2023.
Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) – Swiss skier Marco Odermatt also won the second giant slalom of the World Cup in Kranjska Gora and prematurely defended the small crystal globe for the evaluation of the discipline. Before the last race at the season finale in Soldeau, he already has an unattainable lead of 160 points over second-placed Henrik Kristoffersen. The Norwegian finished second today in Slovenia with a distance of 32 hundredths.
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Photo gallery: SP in downhill skiing 2022/23
Twenty-five-year-old Odermatt, who was already certain of first place in the overall standings of the WC in the absence of Nor Alexander Aamodt Kilde in Slovenia, scored his eleventh victory of the season. He won six out of nine races in the giant slalom. At the beginning of March, he also added a small globe for the super giant slalom to his collection of trophies.
“It's crazy, I can't even believe it. It was a big fight again today in the second round. I made a few mistakes just before the flat passage and thought it would be very tight. So I took a full risk and it worked out,” rejoiced Odermatt. “Last year it was different, I was more nervous. This year I was more relaxed,” he added to the trophy defense.
Reigning Olympic champion and world champion in giant slalom, Odermatt led in Krajnská Gora just as he did on Saturday after the first round. After the first run, the third Kristoffersen pushed his opponent in the second lap and moved into the overall lead with the fastest time, but Odermatt secured the victory in the last run. Frenchman Alexis Pinturaulta lost seven tenths in third place.
Out of 24 starts in the season, Odermatt was on the podium twenty times. “If you can't talk about a perfect season now, then when? Everything, absolutely everything worked perfectly,” said Odermatt. In the overall ranking, he has 1826 points and in the final in Andorra he can attack the record of the Austrian Hermann Maier, who won 2000 points in 2000.
SP in downhill skiing in Kranjska Gora:
Men – giant slalom: 1. Odermatt (Switzerland) 2:20.91 (1:12.16+1:08.75), 2. Kristoffersen (Norway) -0.32 (1:12.63+1:08.60), 3. Pinturault (Fr.) -0.70 (1:12.44+1:09.17), 4. Kranjec (Slovenia) -1.62 (1:13.10+1:09.43), 5. Braathen (Nor.) -1.63 (1:12.98+1:09.56), 6. Della Vite (It.) -1, 83 (1:13.27+1:09.47).
Giant slalom standings (after 9 out of 10 races): 1. Odermatt 740, 2. Kristoffersen 580 . 38 races): 1. Odermatt 1826, 2. Kilde (Nor.) 1240, 3. Kristoffersen 1014, 4. Kriechmayr (Austria) 853, 5. Meillard 831, 6. Braathen 824, …137. Zabystřan (ČR) 12.
