Odermatt puts Maier record in sight with smooth super-G win

Marco Odermatt (SUI) moved himself to within a whisker of Hermann Maier’s long-standing season points record on Thursday, winning the super-G at the FIS World Cup Finals in the dynamic style he has shown all season.

On a Soldeu piste that deteriorated fast in warm conditions, Odermatt delivered a trademark high-intensity, ramped up performance – taking plenty of risks on the fast top section and showing a mastery of the more technical run-in.

He finished +0.29 seconds ahead of the impressive Marco Schwarz (AUT) and +0.71 in front of regular duelling partner Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR).

The win moves Odi to 1,942 points. It leaves him requiring only third place in Saturday’s giant slalom – his favourite discipline – to break Maier’s 2,000 mark, set in 1999-2000, and register the greatest men’s World Cup season of all time.

Super-G has been a crucial part of his charge: he has won six races from eight starts this term. He collected the event's Crystal Globe after the race, which he will put alongside his GS and overall Globes.

“I’m extremely happy,” he said. “I was a little bit disappointed yesterday [with 15th place in the downhill] and I wanted to show another good race today.

“I wasn’t sure if it was still possible to get into another race mode, get the killer instinct you really need for the super-G, but I got into this mood again, and I showed some of my best skiing.

“I would say six victories out of eight races and two other podiums is nearly perfect. It is probably the most difficult discipline we have in ski racing, to sum it up with a victory, to get this Globe, is fantastic.

He remains ice cool as Maier’s record looms. “I will treat this race [the GS] like any other race. I will for sure celebrate today a little bit, and then try to go all in again on Saturday for the GS.

“We will see how much is left in the tank. If it works, perfect. Otherwise, I have won enough.”

Odermatt was assisted by an early fall from Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT), who won the downhill yesterday, and the super-G world champion, James Crawford.  Both fell victim to miscalculations on the rippled surface.

Marco Schwarz was perhaps the man who impressed most on the day. The 27-year-old Austrian has improved remarkably as a speed skier: prior to this year, almost all his podiums had all come from slaloms.

But enduring a ruthless schedule of races across all four disciplines, Schwarz has defied fatigue to show he can compete with the speed big beasts, too – gliding on the longer skis as effectively as he’s always turned on the technical ones.

This was his best super-G result and first speed podium, but more will be anticipated by an Austrian team that will undergo rebuilding and soul searching this summer.

“The run was pretty good,” he said. “The whole season has been pretty intense, and for sure the last few days. I’ll have a day off and then focus on the GS and slalom for the last two races. Then some rest.

“[Ranking third in GS] is not in my mind. I want to do my best, and to have fun in the last few races. I’ll give it all.”

As ever, last season’s super-G champion Kilde gave it his best shot, putting everything on the line, but couldn’t quite top his biggest rival, as he has managed to do in the downhills. He acknowledged some fatigue played its part.

“It’s been a mentally exhausting couple of months, that’s for sure,” he said. “The body feels OK but it is about getting the right attention. It’s been hard, the last couple of days, but I’ve been trying. It stacks up.

“With super-G I feel I lose the line a little bit, and when it is soft outside the line, I lose a lot of time. But third place, another podium, another incredible season, I am happy to be in this position."

He paid tribute to Odermatt once more. “It’s fun to look at this skier that never does any mistakes, every race he is on the podium, it is really incredible.

“I’ve had a really full season as well, and feel like in super-G I have some work to do, to beat him next year. He seems unbeatable now, but I don’t think so. I’ve got to keep working.”

The World Cup Finals continue in Soldeu on Friday with the Team Parallel event.