Featured Image: Kvitfjell super-G podium.
The men were back for their third and final day of racing on the Olympiabakken Kvitfjell track.
The course had to move below the Russi jump because of foggy weather conditions on the upper part of the course. Thereby, the men needed to be extra focused during the sprint, looking for opportunities to maximize their speed. With this in mind, they were determined to give everything they had for the last regular-season race in their discipline.
Marco Odermatt has already run away with his fourth super-G World Cup Globe, but that did not stop him from putting it all out there today. However, he was unable to clinch the lead for the third day in a row on this track.
It was Dominik Paris of Italy who established his lead from the start and continued to carry speed through the entire course. Coming through with the fastest run, -0.38 ahead of the field.
This is the second time that Paris has won in both the downhill and super-G races in Kvitfjell, achieving the same success in 2019.
He stated, “This feels great. I have had victories here and podiums, so it is a hill that I like. It is very nice to be on the top of the podium.”
“Being back on the top of the podium in super-G brings me a lot of emotions,” he continued.
This victory marks Paris’ 6th victory on this slope and 25th World Cup win of his career. He entered the super-G in 8th position on the World Cup standings but now will head into the Finals in 4th position.
Paris stated, “This is good motivation for the summer training. If I could go further and do more races, that would be good, but I know the season is short, and you have to be ready at the beginning.”
Crawford Secures Second, Hrobat Third
James (Jack) Crawford of Alpine Canada Alpin was the top North American yesterday in the last downhill race of the regular season, finishing in 8th place.
Today, he brought that confidence into the super-G sprint, executing a fast, dynamic line. He concluded the day by achieving his first super-G podium this season and the second of his career.
The only other time that Crawford has executed a podium in super-G was on this track in 2022, so this was another great day on the Olympiabakken track for the Canadian.
He explained, “I have been trying to figure out the equipment and skiing this year, and I haven’t totally felt confident on my skis, but we have been putting in a lot of great work. Around Wengen we figured stuff out, so the confidence has been building.”
“I think today and this week everything fit together in a way that made me feel confident to push again. Little things can make a huge difference, and feeling confident on my skis allowed me to really get my technique and willingness to be on my edge back,” he continued.
This 2nd-place finish moved him up from 15th in the World Cup standings to 9th position heading into the Finals.
Slovenian skier Miha Hrobat had an outstanding performance on the last day of the Kvitfjell World Cup, securing his first-ever podium finish in super-G.
In these final races of the season, Hrobat has really hit his stride in the discipline, surpassing his previous personal best in super-G with an impressive 8th-place finish in Crans-Montana. This has marked the 30-year-old’s best season of his career, as he earned his first two podiums in downhill as well.
Hrobat stated, “I am really happy. It has been a struggle for a couple of years in the super-G, but this year I am feeling a lot better on the new Atomic equipment, which gave me the confidence to ski and attack in super-G.”
“A course like this really suits me because you really have to attack it, and it is fluid, and there are no big stops in the speed, so I managed to bring the speed from the top to the bottom,” he concluded.
Super-G Star, Marco Odermatt in 4th
Coming into today’s race, Odermatt had already secured the super-G globe. The closest competitor, Matia Casse, was 181 points away from his lead but could not compete in Kvitfjell due to an injury. However, that did not stop Odermatt from giving it his all.
Before his run, Odermatt stated, “My chances were already really good after my victory in Crans-Montana, and then Matia Casse got injured; all the best to him. Now, there is no globe race, but it is another cool race today.”
Unfortunately, the Swiss super-G star did not nail a victory line in the sprint. Although he kept gearing up through the final gliding gates, he concluded the day with an impressive 4th-place result.
The Race for Top Standings Continues
The competition for the overall super-G globe remains intense; before the race today, only three points separated third and fifth place in the standings.
The pressure was on for Vincent Kriechmayr, Stefan Rogentin, and Franjo Von Allmen because every point in these last races is vital for achieving a top-three spot.
Vincent Kriechmayr was triumphant on this hill last year in the discipline and brought that confidence into the race today. However, he was just off the leading pace, finishing +0.49 behind Paris, placing him in 5th.
A top-5 finish was excellent against Rogentin (7th) and Von Allmen (13th), keeping Kriechmayr in 2nd position in the standings with 281 points. Rogentin moved into 3rd with 271 points, and Von Allmen got pushed back to 6th with 254 points.
North Americans
Two Stifel US Ski Team athletes were the first to race the course. Ryan Cochran-Siegle was the initial athlete to kick out of the start, setting the pace at 1:09.62.
His teammate, Jared Goldberg, was second onto the track and was aggressive from the start. The Stifel US Ski Team racers ran a similar line, following their plan. He came through +0.03 behind Cochran-Siegle. Cochran-Siegle concluded in 11th place, and Goldberg finished in 12th.
Cochran-Siegle stated, “Kind of a bummer. Top 10s are always a little more enjoyable.”
He continued, “Obviously, a super tight race. But I had a really good mentality, the skiing was good, and the bib today was nice to ski. My line heading into the last Tommy Moe section was a little too direct, so I paid on the bottom split.”
The third fastest athlete from the Stifel US Ski Team was River Radamus, concluding the day in 18th position. Radamus had some pressure coming into the race today as he was 29th in the World Cup standings, so he needed a big result to qualify for the World Cup Finals.
Radamus threw down a strong run, finishing in 18th position. Unfortunately, this result was not enough to qualify him into the top 25 of the standings, gutted as he finished just outside in 26th.
Alpine Canada Alpin Jeffrey Read was second on this super-G track last year, which was his first and only World Cup podium. However, today he struggled to find the fast line and finished in 20th place. Still, this result stands as his second-best super-G performance of the season.
The North Americans had two ties in the top 30. The Stifel US Ski Team athletes, Kyle Negomir and Bryce Bennett, both skied into 21st position (+1.09). Alpine Canada Alpin Brodie Seger and U.S. athlete Sam Morse raced into 29th position (+1.33).
Crawford, Goldberg, and Cochran-Siegle are the three North Americans that qualified for the World Cup Finals in the discipline.
Top 30
Top 3 Analysis
North Americans in the Top 30
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
