Swiss skier Marco Odermatt after winning the WC giant slalom in Kranjska Gora, March 11, 2023.
Kranjska Gora (Slovenia) – Opening giant slalom Swiss skier Marco Odermatt won the World Cup in sunny Kranjska Gora. The already certain overall winner of the series can win a small globe for the discipline evaluation on Sunday in the second giant slalom in Slovenia.
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Photo gallery: SP in downhill skiing 2022/23
Reigning Olympic champion and world champion Odermatt won the fifth of eight giant slaloms of the season. The 25-year-old Swiss dominated the first lap with a lead of half a second, was slower in the second race and virtually lost to Alexis Pinturault in the last split, but at the finish line he had a time 23 hundredths faster than the Frenchman.
He finished third with a distance of 37 hundredths seconds by Henrik Kristoffersen. The Norwegian is still the only one who can deprive Odermatt of defending the small globe for the giant slalom. But he has a big loss of 140 points, and the star Swiss will theoretically be able to celebrate already on Sunday, when the Podkoren ski slope is used again.
The winner of 21 cup races, Odertmatt already secured the first place in the super-giant slalom ranking and the defense of the big globe before the series finale in Soldeu. He has a total lead of 486 points ahead of Aleksander Aamodt Kild, and the Norwegian specialist in speed disciplines can only get 300.
SP in downhill skiing in Kranjska Gora:
Men – giant slalom: 1. Odermatt (Switzerland) 2:16.65 (1:07.60+1:09.05), 2. Pinturault (Fr.) -0.23 (1:08.40+ 1:08.48), 3. Kristoffersen (Nor.) -0.37 (1:08.14+1:08.88), 4. Brennsteiner (Aust.) -0.72 (1:08.25+ 1:09.12), 5. Kranjec (Slovenia) -1.04 (1:08.13+1:09.56), 6. G. Caviezel (Switzerland) -1.11 (1:08, 89+1:08.87).
Continuous order of giant slalom (after 8 out of 10 races): 1. Odermatt 640, 2. Kristoffersen 500, 3. Kranjec 390, 4. Meillard (Switzerland) 356, 5. Schwarz (Austria) 353, 6. Pinturault 317.
Current order of the SP (after 33 of 38 races): 1. Odermatt 1726, Kilde (Nor.) 1240, 3. Kristoffersen 934, 4. Kriechmayr (Austria) 853, 5. Meillard 807, 6. Braathen (Nor.) 779, …135. Zabystřan (ČR) 12.
