Featured Image: World Cup Finals GS Podium. Credit: GEPA

It was a thrilling day at the Saalbach World Cup Finals with an unexpected turn. Marco Odermatt got thrown out of the course in the first section of the second run. The Swiss athlete broke his undefeated 2024 streak but has remained on top of the World Cup Standings. He lifted the GS Globe for the third time in his career.

Odermatt stated, “What I like the most is the spring conditions and a fast course, so everything was ready. But, that one small mistake that is ski racing, and it can happen to me. But that is okay.”

However, the Swiss team still came out on top of the podium with his teammate, Loic Meillard, pulling through with the victory. It marked Meillard’s first giant slalom victory of the 2024 season and second of his career.

Meillard stated, “We kept believing in the work we were putting in every day in training and it paid off at the end of the season,” He continued, “In January if someone would have told me I would have been second in the standings, I would have laughed and said, ‘No, there’s no chance.'”

Joan Verdu of Andorra put two runs together where he was gunning for it the entire time. His energy and constant search for more speed brought him into 2nd place, earning his second podium finish on the World Cup circuit.

Another Swiss athlete, Thomas Tumler, had a lights-out performance, achieving 3rd-place. Tumler was emotional when he took the podium because it was his first podium finish in giant slalom since 2018 and the third of his career.

“I knew I had to push because Loic, for sure, skied very well, and he deserved a victory. I saw Tommy in third place, so even if it is not my day, it is still a Swiss day, and I am proud of them,” Odermatt stated.

The day only got warmer after the first run, so the soft snow continued to be a factor that the men had to conquer through. The second run had a little more swing through the top role, and the skiers needed to be consistent through the turn and efficient from panel to panel.

Norwegian Timon Haugan had an efficient run where he strategically sent it through each section. With his impressive second run, he was sitting in the leader’s chair for six athletes until he got pushed out by Austrian Stefan Brennsteiner.

Stefan Brennsteiner concluded the day in 4th place, which was exciting for the Austrian fans. It was the athlete’s second top-5 result of the season and 12th of his career.

Odermatt Wins Third Consecutive Giant Slalom Globe

Odermatt achieved the Crystal Globe for the third time in his career for the 2024 giant slalom World Cup. He was untouchable this season and established a lights-out lead with 900 points. 

Odermatt stated, “I am happy about the globe, but the emotions are not that happy right now, but that will come later.” 

He had a very impressive season with 20 podiums to date and heading into the last weekend of World Cup Finals he has secured the overall globe for the third time in a row. 

Odermatt has successfully become part of a select group of racers who have achieved back-to-back World Cup titles.

North Americans

Ryder Sarchett struggled slightly through his inaugural World Cup run, so on the second, he needed to take full advantage of kicking first out of the gate.

The consistency and commitment to the outside ski on his second run was apparent, taking full advantage of the track. He threw down, earning 3rd on the second run and finishing 20th overall. It was an exciting first day for Sarchett on the World Cup stage.

Sarchett stated, “I’m excited just to be a part of it,” He continued, “I mean, I’m obviously a little disappointed on first run. I didn’t ski like myself and I feel like I left a lot on the table and obviously some mistakes and I’m happy I battled through to have a second run.”

Stifel US Ski Team River Radamus claimed his first World Cup podium in the event prior in Aspen, CO, so he had confidence coming into the Finals. After the first run, he came through the finish in 15th place, so his starting position on the second run was more of an advantage.

From the start, he was pushing it down the course. He was in the hunt to move up and make a mark on the World Cup Finals stage. Unfortunately, he lost a bit of time through the middle sections of the course and finished in 17th place.

Radamus stated, “It’s been a great season. I feel like I’ve made some strides towards where I want to be in my jet skiing. Obviously, podium and Palisades is probably the highlight. It was good to see that I have that speed in me, disappointed with how it ended,” He continued, “I’ll take the motivation and the frustration I have today into the off season to make sure I get better for next year.”

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