Swiss Podium Sweep: Odermatt Clinches Third 2024 Title in Men’s Super-G World Cup Finals

Friday, March 22nd Saalbach, Austria: Switzerland is celebrating their podium sweep at the Men’s super-G World Cup finals. They earned four of the top five spots on the leaderboard. However, the winner was not Marco Odermatt; Stefan Rogentin, who skied with bib six, delivered clean arcs and crossed with a (0.03) faster than his second-place teammate Loic Meillard. By doing so, Rogentin won his first World Cup. Rounding out the podium in third place was Arnaud Boisset, who earned his first podium of his career.

 “I had a good feeling in the morning, and I just tried to ski very soft; it was a great run,” Rogentin said. “The conditions were difficult, so the feeling was not so good, but in the end, it was a good finish, and a green light is always good.

“It was not perfect, but nobody does a perfect run in those conditions,” Meillard said. “I tried to push and do my best, so I was happy. It’s an easy run but difficult to be fast. You have to never try to sleep; you need to always be active.

“Three guys from Switzerland on the podium is special. It’s a great end to the season. It doesn’t mean I’m unhappy to go on holiday soon, but everything worked well this season.”

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“It was a good run, but it was difficult. It was the last race of the season after almost one month of rest,” Boisset said. “I went to the European Cup race to stay in the rhythm. Today, I really wanted to push this race. I’m happy to share this emotion with the two other guys.

“It was long to wait (at the bottom), but it is crazy to be on the podium for the first time; I need to enjoy that; it’s amazing.”

Odermatt clinches the SG title

Skiing with bib 15 in warming snow, Odermatt could not find the speed to win his 14th race of the season, but he did clinch his second consecutive World Cup super-G season title. It is also his third title (globe) this season. He has now won the 2024 overall giant slalom and super-G titles.

“Roggy deserved his first victory,” Odermatt said. “I watched from the start, and they skied amazingly.”

“Last season, my super-G season was nearly perfect,” Odermatt said. “It was my first speed globe, so it was probably even a bit more special. But today, I still had to fight for it. It was the first time I had to fight for the globe in the last race; we all know what can happen.

“I had a really good feeling on the skis. It wasn’t that easy with the warm temperatures, but the feeling was still good, and it gives me a lot of confidence for Sunday.”

Undoubtedly, the warm weather affected today’s results. The warm temperatures softened the snow, and although the conditions were as good as possible, the course slowed as the race progressed, leaving the later starters unable to find the speed needed to compete for the top positions.

Kriechmayr top Austrian but falls short

Almost as if they were writing a movie script when they made the start list, the two remaining contenders for the 2024 season’s super-G title skied back to back. First to race was the home country, Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr. However, he could not ski as fast as he had hoped; he crossed the finish in 5th and would not earn the 2024 super-G title. Kriechmayr was the fastest Austrian, finishing 6th (+0.76).

Three North Americans earn points

The first of the five North Americans to ski was Stifel US Ski Team’s Jared Goldberg. Goldberg skied with bib two and crossed second fastest. He attacked as if his season was ending, and today was his final World Cup of the 2024 season. Goldberg finished the day among the points in 11th place (+0.90).

The next racer was the highest ranked of the North American group, Canadian Jeffrey Read. However, with four Swiss racers at the top of the leaderboard, the 2024 SG podium skier crossed into fifth. He ended the day as the fastest North American in place 9th (+0.80).

Reigning World Champion Canadian James “Jack” Crawford completed his Super-G season among the points. He skied later in the start order in slowing conditions but finished 14th, adding to his season’s point total.

The other two North Americans, Canadian Cameron Alexander and Stifel US Ski Team member Ryan Cochran-Siegle could not find the speed needed to finish among the top 15 and score points.

As Marco Odermatt clinches his third title (globe) of the season with his fifth-place performance in the Men’s super-G World Cup finals, Switzerland’s skiing prowess remains unmatched in the 2024 season. With one more men’s race remaining, the downhill on March 24th in Saalbach, Austria, anticipation is high for the last competition of the season.

Results of the Saalbach super-G finals and analysis of the fastest three and North Americans among the top 15

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The analysis of the fastest three and North Americans among the top 15