Odermatt too good for the Bormio SG field

Odermatt on the Bormio SG course. Photo: GEPA pictures

BORMIO, Italy – Make it five wins in 12 starts for Marco Odermatt this season.

The Peter Anderson course was appropriate yet very demanding. However, the icy, bumpy, dark Bormio’s slope made the day challenging. Super-G is extra tricky because the speeds are very high, and racers only get one inspection. After the first five athletes left the start, it was evident that the racers faced a difficult test. However, it was then Marco Odermatt, bib 7, committed to pushing the limits of human capability. After a good start, the Swiss racer provided great skiing to the bottom, increasing his lead the entire way and crossing 2.24 seconds faster than the leader in the finish, teammate Gino Caviezel. 

“It was really a nearly perfect run for me. Very difficult race, very difficult course setting,” Odermatt said. “I had a good feeling from the first gate so that I could push and I was somehow always one step ahead.”

It appeared to be a run that would be impossible to beat, but many great racers were yet to compete. The first threat came immediately with James Crawford, bib eight. Crawford skied with a very high level of skill and conviction. However, Crawford lost time in every sector yet crossed with what was then the second fastest time, 1.51 seconds behind Odermatt. Then Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, bib nine, skied, and his splits revealed Odermatts run was probably unbeatable. Odermatt’s precision and strength were not possible to match. Although Kilde was ahead in the first sector from there to the bottom, he continually lost time. 

As he viewed from the leader’s chair, the racer that did get a lot of Odermatt’s attention was yesterday’s winner Vincent Kriechmayr. Kriechmayr certainly had the confidence and belief in his ability to meet the severe Bormio challenge. Kriechmayr took the lead at the first split and then, although he bled time to the bottom, held a 0.03 advantage with one sector to ski. However, Odematt had skied the bottom better than anyone else could, and Kriechmayr ended up being no match. The Austrian finished the day in second place, 0.64 seconds behind the Swiss leader. 

The Swiss skier maintained his dazzling form in the last World Cup race of 2022 by dominating a super-G on one of the tour’s toughest courses.

“Great team performance, with Loic on the podium as well, and Stefan (Rogentin), Gino (Caviezel) and also Justin (Murisier) in the top 15. It’s a great race,” Odermatt said.

Perhaps as a testament to being a great skier with rested legs, third place went to Odermatt’s teammate Loic Meillard, bib 21. Meillard never threatened the lead but skied with remarkable competence and power to finish third, 1.22 seconds behind the winner. The Swiss ended the day with four athletes among the top 10. One of them, Caviezel, the man Odermatt, took the lead from finished 10th 2,24 seconds behind the winner. Odermatt was simply better than everyone else. The Swiss skier continues his march to another overall globe. He is the world’s best male skier. 

North American success in Bormio

The USA and Canada both had reason to celebrate. James Crawford finished sixth which is excellent, and only 0.29 seconds off the podium. Crawford continues to validate his place at the top of the sport. USA’s best, Ryan Cochran-Seigle, scored his first super-G points of the season in 13th place, 2.63 seconds behind Odermatt. Immediately behind him was Canadian Riley Seger, skiing with bib 51, finishing 14th. Also, Jeffery Read continues to show he is capable of world-class skiing on any surface and finished the day in 17th place. 

“We had a good day,” said Chris Power, Canadian assistant coach men’s alpine. “The conditions and course setting made for a challenging race, so good to see a couple of guys step-up from the back. January is coming in hot, so we’ll take some time now to rest up and get ready.”

It is great to see the younger members of the US team step forward and pass such a difficult test. Notably, USA’s Erik Arvidsson and Kyle Negomir scored their careers’ second super-G World Cup point results. Arvidsson, bib 52, scored yesterday and followed it up today with 21st place. Kyle Negomir, returning from injury, started with bib 42 and moved up to finish 24th. Additionally, veteran Jared Goldberg recovered from a crash in yesterday’s downhill to end the day 29th. Today’s result produced Goldberg’s first super-G points in over a year. The North Americans finished the day with seven athletes scoring. The US had four, and Canada had three, 23% of the top 30. 

Negomir comments, “Felt like I had some mistakes today and wasn’t able to execute the way I wanted to but it was still good to see that I cannot be very proud of my skiing and still be in the points, so that gives me some confidence going forward.  Bormio is such a fun track though, great to compete for somewhere where the skiing really matters, and you have to fully commit to be fast. It was also so much fun to see Erik ski to his potential this weekend, so proud to see how much work he’s put into getting here and have it start to pay off. Looking forward to carrying this momentum with our young group of me Erik and Sam for the rest of the season!”

Arvidson added, “Super happy with the skiing today we knew it would be possible to throw it in there because the snow was so good. I am happy with where my skiing is heading into the new year and into Wengen.”

After 14 of this season’s 38 events, Odermatt has racked up 946 points, turning him into a serious contender to break the men’s record for most World Cup points in a single season.

Odermatt’s win came hours after Olympic super-G champion Matthias Mayer surprisingly retired with immediate effect.

Mayer took part in the racers’ course inspection in the morning but then announced his decision in an interview with Austrian TV.

“We’ve been good friends; we just drank a beer two days ago. We had fun, and talked together,” Odermatt said. “It was a big surprise for everybody and, for sure, also for me. For him, it’s the right way.”

The race, which was interrupted for 10 minutes when a dog was running up and down the course, was the second super-G of the season. The men’s World Cup continues with a slalom in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, next Wednesday.

Analysis of the top three and scoring North Americans and the top 30 results

Top thirty results December 29th, Bormio super-G

The Associated Press contributed to this report.