Featured Image: Marco Odermatt with the GS 2025 globe. Credit: Heather Black
The men faced the last giant slalom race on the Challenger course at the Stifel World Cup Finals. The initial run was tight and turny, with some coaches saying that it was one of the tightest course sets they had seen all season.
Nonetheless, Loïc Meillard made the first run look easy, establishing his rhythm from the start and maintaining early pressure at the top of each turn. He came into the second run with a comfortable lead, 0.53 ahead of the field.
The second run presented its own set of difficulties with the soft, spring snow. By the time the fastest athletes of the first run took on the course, the rut was well established, so they needed to stand strong.
Meillard attacked the second run with ease. He was fluid and on top of each turn, which earned him a dominating victory, 0.95 ahead of the field.
The Swiss athlete was able to move onto the GS standings top 3, finishing 3rd in the discipline for the season.
Meillard stated, “It was definitely a tough GS, but I think I found the key to both runs and that was fast and important for today.”
“I think I wanted to try to show my best skiing and focus on the technical parts and what I can do best and the rest I left on the side. I didn’t was to focus on the results,” Meillard continued.
Marco Odermatt GS Globe Winner and Fights Back for Second
Today, Swiss skiing star Marco Odermatt made a mistake during his first run that set him back. As he approached the second run, he knew he had to give it his all on the slopes to wrap up the season on a high note.
He delivered a powerful and dynamic second-run performance, coming through the finish 0.97 ahead, ultimately finishing the last GS race in 2nd place.
Prior to the World Cup Finals event, Odermatt had already achieved his 4th consecutive GS World Cup globe.
He reflected, “This GS title feels different from the last three. Before, I led from the first race to the last, but this season started with two DNFs, and I had to fight back race by race. It wasn’t as smooth, but that makes winning it even more special.”
“I am very happy to close the season with another podium. It is always a tough fight for the top spot. Loïc is in great shape; he already won Hafjell and is now over a second ahead here. Congratulations to Loïc, and I am also super happy with second place,” Odermatt continued.
The Swiss athlete has remarkably achieved victory in 24 out of the 36 World Cup GS races he has participated in since the 2021/22 season, which is precisely two-thirds of the events.
Henrik Kristoffersen Achieves 3rd Place, Finishes 2nd in Standings
Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen said that his first run was “nothing special,” so he wanted to really gear up on his second run.
He pushed it through each section of the course and continued to blast through the course. At the bottom it was nail-biting, but he could not overtake Odermatt’s time. He concluded the day in an impressive 3rd place and remained 2nd in the World Cup giant slalom standings.
He reflected on the course and stated, “This is the top level of our sport, so it should be hard and challenging.”
Kristoffersen explained his secret to his success. He stated, “You have to be crazy, and you have to be insane.”
But then he reflected on how challenging being at the top of this sport truly is. He stated, “I don’t know how much longer I can keep going on with this. Physically I am really tired, and I have to squeeze out everything for tomorrow, and what really breaks it is the mental side of it.”
River Radamus Concludes on a High Note
This season, Stifel US Ski Team athlete River Radamus has found success in the GS discipline. His top two results were in Beaver Creek and Hafjell, finishing both in 7th place. Today he was ready to light a fire on this hill in front of the US crowd.
Although he had a big mistake in the first run that caused him to back off a little bit, he came into the second run ready to leave it all out there. He geared up through each turn, gaining momentum through the midsection of the turn.
He came through the finish in the lead but concluded the day in 15th place, earning himself valuable World Cup points.
The Colorado native explained the difference from the first run of snow conditions. He stated, “Coming in and out of the shade is significant. So, you are doing a lot of calculations on what you can trust and what you can’t and how hard you can push.”
He alluded to his excitement about this race being held on home snow: “I was thrilled to have the World Cup Finals here, especially some place off the beaten path at Sun Valley. I think it is a different look than any of these Europeans have been to, and I hear they are pretty blown away by it.”
Speed Racers, Rogentin and Monney Take on GS
The Swiss speed specialists Stefan Rogentin and Alexis Monney opted into racing the World Cup Finals giant slalom. This season, they both concluded impressively in the speed World Cup standings, with Rogentin finishing 2nd in super-G and Monney securing 3rd in downhill.
Although the two speed specialists struggled slightly on the first run, they were able to send it on the fresh track on the second run first. They both put down clean runs and set the pace.
Monney finished in 18th place, and Rogentin finished in 19th place.
Tomorrow an exhilarating 2025 season will conclude with the slalom event. Stay tuned!
Top 3 Results
Final Results
Final Top 5 in World Cup GS Standings
North American
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
