Vinatzer, Odermatt, Kristoffersen / GEPA pictures
Odermatt clinches first Birds of Prey GS victory
Marco Odermatt turned last week’s frustration at Copper Mountain into focused momentum on Sunday. After his GS DNF, the Swiss star shrugged off the mistake, saying, “It’s just a race, s*** happens, and next week there are three more chances.” He seized two of them in Beaver Creek.
Odermatt remained calm under pressure and found speed exactly where the hill demanded it. He built time on the pitch, carried it onto the flats, and attacked the fall line with power and purpose. He used his first-run lead to stay ahead of the field and win by 0.23 seconds. The result delivered his career-first Birds of Prey GS victory and his second win of the week, following his downhill triumph on Thursday. It also marked his 28th World Cup GS win and 44th GS podium.
“The second run was very tough. The visibility got bad again, the track wasn’t as clean, and with the last bib you just have to fight. I tried to stay on the line and bring the power into my skiing,” Odermatt said.
He added, “This is very special. I really wanted to podium or earn a victory. My best (GS) place here was 27th, so I really wanted to improve that. The second run was tough and bumpy, and I needed every bit of my advantage from the first run.”
“Already winning the downhill here was a big thing on my list and the giant slalom today was missing from my portfolio,” he concluded.
Vinatzer and Kristoffersen round out the top three
Italian Alex Vinatzer, who finished the first run in 10th place, put everything he had into the second run to climb the leaderboard. He skied with strong timing and maintained speed where it mattered most. His effort carried him into second place, marking the first giant slalom podium of his career.
Vinatzer stated, “This has taken a lot of work. Some tough moments and last year there was a GS crisis in the middle of the season that I hope I do not repeat again. I feel good at the moment and the skiing is good. I tried to give everything I had and even more so in the second run. To make it on top feels amazing!”
Henrik Kristoffersen started his run looking calm and solid. He lost a little speed coming onto the flats but pushed aggressively from panel to panel on the final pitch. The Norwegian held on for third place, earning the 97th World Cup podium of his career.
“I wish I could win on US soil. I have been second and third, but I have never won on US soil. I think without the mistake I had I would have been close,” Kristoffersen explained with slight frustration.
However, he remained positive about his second run. “Today the second run was much better than the first run. They moved the course more skiers left on the top, which helped a lot. All in all I am quite happy. I hope it continues to work like this in Europe.”
Braathen attacks but slips to fourth
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil started the final run in second position and went full send from top to bottom. Two major errors on the lower pitches cost him time, pushing him off the podium. He still finished an impressive fourth.
Radamus delivers for the home crowd
River Radamus, who finished seventh in this race last year, set out to deliver another big performance on home snow. He attacked the top with intensity, stayed strong through the grooves, and attacked the line onto the pitch. He found speed across the flats and carried it cleanly into the finish.
The local crowd erupted as he crossed with the fastest time, knocking Feurstein out of the leader’s chair by 0.29 seconds. Radamus showed pure excitement in the finish arena.
He stated, “I tried really hard. I laid it all on the line and I gave myself the opportunity for fast skiing and I didn’t have too many mistakes.”
“Up until this run just now, I felt like I have not had a good run of GS this year, at least to the level that I think I am capable of, so it has been frustrating knowing that I can ski faster than I am. I wanted to put one together and I finally feel like I did that,” Radamus stated.
Radamus climbed 12 places during the second run to finish sixth, his best career result on the Beaver Creek GS track.
Sarchett scores first World Cup points
Ryder Sarchett was the first U.S. athlete out of the start. He ripped the top section and carried strong pace onto the flats. He got slightly off-balance through Golden Eagle and slipped behind, but he continued to push all the way down the final pitches.
Sarchett finished 25th, earning World Cup points for the first time in his career.
“I haven’t been skiing very fast in training, but I knew that if I just went for it, things could happen. I tried to let go of the thoughts, trust that I belong, and give it my best,” Sarchett stated.
He added, “Scoring points should put me into the top 60, which gives me my own World Cup start spot. Now I should get more opportunities.”
Steffey attacks back into the top 30
Global Racing athlete George Steffey made one of the most significant moves of the first run, and his aggression began out of the start during the second run, showing he was intent on climbing even higher. He glided cleanly across the flats and held a high line on the pitch. He lost some speed near the bottom, but still finished the day in 27th place — a meaningful result as he continues his return from the back injury that kept him off snow last season.
Steffey explained, “Last year, I didn’t race at all because I was injured, but this year, it has been a little bit freer with the skiing, with better trust on the first run. So, the skiing’s been there for me; it’s just a matter of putting it together in the race.”
Steffey earned the Stifel Bibbo Award for moving up the most positions in the field throughout the race. The result marked the fourth top-30 finish of his career, providing valuable points for the independent racer.
Athletes make big moves from outside bib 30
Austria’s Lukas Feurstein started the day wearing bib 36 and charged his way into the top 30 on the first run. In the second run, he surprised the crowd by refusing to hold back. He worked the ski through every transition, attacked the panels from top to bottom, and set an early pace that held for 12 racers. He finished 10th, earning the second top-10 giant slalom result of his career.
Feurstein stated, “Overall I am really happy with my second run. Some sections were good, some not so good, but I pushed from top to bottom and it worked.” He continued, “It’s getting darker and darker on the hill, so I think I had a bit of an advantage starting with bib 1. But I just tried to keep the speed going all the way down.”
Switzerland’s 22-year-old Lenz Haechler earned his first World Cup points of his career. He opened the run with aggression, then eased slightly near the bottom and skied smart to secure 19th place.
Race Results
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Second Run Analysis: Top Three and North Americans
About the Author: Ellie Hartman
