Odermatt dominates at home

Odermatt celebrates his victory – Photo: GEPA Pictures

ADELBODEN, Switzerland – The second run of the Adelboden World Cup GS delivered all the entertainment a ski racing fan could possibly hope for. The lead changes were constant as the first-run leaders continually provided some of the fastest runs. However, the day belongs to the fans. Swiss skiers delighted the crowd by finishing the day first and third. Notably, Marco Odermatt is clearly at a level of GS no one has ever been able to achieve before. Although he has a long way to go before becoming the winningest of all time, he is the fastest GS skier that has ever skied.

A fourth win in five World Cup giant slaloms since October for the 25-year-old Swiss was also his 14th straight podium finish in the GS discipline. A record accumulated over the past two seasons including the Beijing Olympics. Odermatt’s 17th career win in World Cup races was his 11th in giant slalom. It extended the defending champion’s big lead in the overall World Cup standings.

“I was on the limit two, three, four times on the inside ski. It was unbelievable,” Odermatt told Swiss broadcaster RTS about his aggressive second run.

There is really only one story today, and it is about the Swiss fans and their beloved Swiss Ski Team. They couldn’t have possibly offered more positive energy and support to their Swiss skiers. A sold-out crowd of more than 20,000 mostly gathered around the steep final slope of the storied Chuenisbärgli course.

On what is certainly the most complex GS hill in the world, the fans witnessed a masterpiece of ski racing performance. If you can think of a terrain challenge you will find it on Adelboden’s race trail. The level of skiing the racers produced on such a difficult slope is mind-boggling.

The Swiss crowd had witnessed four previous Swiss racers by the time they went crazy as Loic Meillard descended with a wonderfully high level of precision and power and crossed 0.61 seconds ahead of Austria’s Manuel Feller. Next up was the Norwegian star Henrik Kristoffersen who found a new level in the New Year and delivered what appeared to be an unbeatable performance. However, the man who remained at the top was the overall World Cup leader and the best GS skier in the world, Marco Odermatt. The Swiss star produced the two fastest runs of the day and ended the race 0.73 of a second faster than Kristoffersen.

“When it’s a fast course set like this in the second run and Marco is flying like he is at the moment then I know that there is not that much chance,” said Kristoffersen, after his fifth career podium finish in the Adelboden classic without a win. “Still the only one who is somewhat close (to Odermatt) and far ahead of everyone else.”

The light fades fast at Adelboden because the sun sets behind the surrounding hills during the second run, and the first-run leaders waited out a 15-minute stoppage after Victor Muffat-Jeandet had crashed.

The Swiss swing of the men’s World Cup starts well for the home nation. Today Gino Caviezel joins his teammates in the top ten by finishing eighth.

It was also a special treat to see the skills of Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. The big man used his entire tool chest to ski to 9th place. Fans can only hope this encourages him to race more of the GS discipline.

“Top-10 today is incredible,” said Kilde, the 2020 overall champion who leads the downhill standings. “With bib 31 and having this as a result is really amazing.”

Canada continued to experience a spectacular GS day. Valerie Grenier won in Kranjska Gora, and Trevor Philp was second on the Adelboden final run. Philp used his outstanding skiing to move up 12 positions and finish the day 17th. His closest friend and the fellow University of Denver, Pioneer Erik Read, used the 6th fastest final run to move up six spots and finish ahead of his teammate in 15th.

USA’s Tommy Ford looked to be duplicating his final run performance of the Sölden season opener. Ford produced world-class skiing in the first three sectors of the final run before nearly coming to a halt on the final pitch. It seems reasonable to say his days on the podium have not come to an end. River Radamus, who was the fastest North American in the first run, struggled to find his speed on the second run and fell six spots to finish 22nd. However, any time you score in the World Cup, you are a member of the world’s elite.

The Frenchman Leo Anguenot delivered the most exciting move of the day. Skiing with bib 61, he scores his first GS points and finishes 16th.

Notably, the FIS and the Adelboden organizers must be acknowledged for delivering a near miracle. There is no natural snow near the race piste and they dealt with warm temperatures. However, they delivered s exciting of a race as possible. Congratulation to the hard-working course crew in Adelboden.

Analysis of the top three, North Americans and the final results

Results from the January 7th Adelboden World Cup GS

The Associated Press contributed to this report.