A Day of Milestones at the Kvitfjell World Cup Super-G; Jeffrey Read’s First Podium!

Featured Image: World Cup super-G podium in Kvitfjell, Norway. Credit: GEPA Pictures

The men geared up today for the conclusion of the 2024 World Cup super-G season in Kvitfjell, Norway. The field battled today for a spot in the World Cup Finals in Saalbach, Austria.  

Marco Odermatt has been leading the super-G World Cup Standings, but the top points were tight heading into the race this weekend. Before the race, Odermatt had 390 points, Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) had 269, and Raphael Haaser (AUT) had 222. Odermatt had to give it his all today to secure the 2024 Globe. 

Vincent Kriechmayr of Austria took the top podium spot today, triumphing Odermatt’s time with a superb run. He achieved his 8th super-G victory and 2nd win of the 2024 season, tying for the number of SG wins this season with Odermatt. This was Kriechmayr’s 18th victory in his World Cup career. 

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He stated, “It was a short super-G, of course. But, the feeling on the course was smooth, not that bumpy and no ice. I skied pretty perfectly, but the left turn of the first split was not amazing, but also good enough for a win today,” He continued, “I wanted to just have fun and try to push.”

The road to the globe is not achievable, Kriechmayr assures everyone during the interview. He stated, “I have no hope for this. Odermatt is impressive and 80 points is impossible against Odermatt.” 

Odermatt sported bib-7 and immediately revealed aggression, looking for more aerodynamics throughout the course. However, with two slight issues in the course’s mid-section, the discipline leader did not finish on top. He came through just +0.02 behind the North American Jeffrey Read. 

Jeffrey Read of Alpine Canada Alpin was gunning it from top to bottom. Third out of the start, he was fast through the top section with a clean line. He established his lead early on and maintained his speed throughout the course. He came through in the lead but was bumped out of the leader’s chair by Kriechmayr. 

Read still completed the day in 2nd place, achieving his first World Cup podium. 

Read stated, “It feels pretty amazing. Still hard to believe that it’s happening. It’s been a wild rush the last hour. But yeah, I think it’s super exciting and I feel like it’s been a long time coming for me. And today was just the day it lined up with the skiing and everything, so I’m really happy.”

Italian Dominik Paris looked confident as he stood on the outside ski throughout the track. He has achieved 14 podium finishes in super-G but has not stepped on the podium this season. Before Kvitfjell, Paris was sitting 15th in the super-G World Cup Standings; this podium finish will bring him up in the standings before the World Cup Finals.

North Americans

The North Americans demonstrated their strength this weekend, achieving numerous significant milestones. Yesterday, ten finished in the top 30 in the downhill, and today, six finished in the top 30, with two Canadians achieving a top 5 result.

Alpine Canada Alpin had an excellent day today with two career-best results in super-G. Jeffrey Read achieved 3rd place, and Cameron Alexander was 5th place.

It was clear that Alexander brought momentum and confidence from yesterday’s podium finish onto the super-G track, which brought him enough for a 5th-place result.

Stifel US Ski Team racer Ryan Cochran-Siegle threw down the fastest time for a US athlete. He finished in 11th place, +0.42 behind the winning time. It was Cochran-Siegle’s 3rd top-15 finish this season in super-G.

Teammate Kyle Negomir came across the finish line +0.02 behind Cochran-Siegle’s time. He achieved 12th place, which was a career-best for Negomir. Negomir had a superb weekend, with two of his best results in downhill and super-G.

Negomir stated, “I always heard that the Americans loved this place but seeing it in person was on another level. It was so cool to be a part of this team putting 6 in the 20 yesterday, which I’m not even sure when the last time was. And seeing everyone ski with so much confidence and enjoy this hill really helped me to feel comfortable here, even on my first time racing this track.”

Another Stifel US Ski Team member, Sam Morse, finished in 14th place. Morse kicked out of the start wearing bib-42 and skied a strong run, putting him in the top 15. This was a career-best for Morse in super-G, with his prior best being 23rd place.

Teammate Jared Goldberg also made it into the top 30. He executed a composed run but lost some time in the final section of the track, finishing in 23rd place.

Tristan Lane skied his inaugural World Cup and although his time was not fast enough to put him into the top 30, it was a big day for the US Independent athlete.

Seven North Americans did not finish within the top 30. Unfortunately, James Crawford of Alpine Canada Alpin and Wiley Maple (USA) did not complete the course, getting pushed out at the gate.

Jeffrey Read, James Crawford, Ryan Cochran-Siegle, Cameron Alexander, and Jared Goldberg are the North Americans who have qualified for the World Cup super-G Finals.

Top 30 Results Kvitfjell World Cup super-G

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Analysis the four men on the podium

Analysis of the North Americans among the top 30 Analysis