Swiss skier Marco Odermatt, February 9, 2023.
Kranjská Gora (Slovenia) – Swiss skier Marco Odermatt defended his victory ahead of time in overall ranking of the World Cup. His Norwegian rival Aleksander Aamodt Kilde gave up the start in Kranjska Gora, where there are two giant slaloms on the weekend, so the reigning champion can no longer lose the big crystal globe.
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Photo gallery: SP in downhill skiing 2022/23
Twenty-five-year-old Odermatt now leads the SP ranking ahead of Kilde by 386 points and cannot be caught in the rest of the season. In the coming week, the Norwegian can get a maximum of 300 points in the World Cup final in Andorra, because he does not ride slalom.
Last weekend, Odermatt won the small globe for the first time in his career for the evaluation of the super giant slalom. The Olympic champion in the giant slalom secured the trophy by winning the super-G in Aspen, and he was virtually certain to win overall in the WC, as Kilde announced his non-participation in Kranjska Gora in advance. But he can only celebrate after the official publication of the Norwegian nomination.
Out of 22 starts in the World Cup, Odermatt stood on the podium eighteen times this season and scored nine victories. In Slovenia at the weekend, he can come close to defending the small globe for the giant slalom, he leads the discipline ranking by 100 points before the last three races, ahead of Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen.
By defending the overall championship, Odermatt crowned a successful season, which he also decorated with two gold medals medals at the World Championships in Courchevel. After Pirmin Zurbriggen, he became only the second Swiss to win the big crystal globe more than once. The famous compatriot even managed to do it four times in 1984, 1987, 1988 and 1990.
