'Everything is just perfect': Odermatt wins again to clinch overall title
Feb 24, 2024·Alpine Skiing
After securing his third consecutive overall crystal globe and winning his 10th straight giant slalom race to join a select club, Marco Odermatt (SUI) summed it up about as simply as he could.
"At the moment, everything is just perfect," the Swiss star said after he continued his assault on the record books in Palisades Tahoe on Saturday and remained undefeated in giant slalom this season.
Odermatt didn't have it all his own way in the Californian resort, however, and just pipped a resurgent Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR, +0.12s), with home favourite River Radamus (USA, +1.37s) coming third for his first World Cup podium.
"It was very tight today," admitted Odermatt, who led Kristoffersen by 0.15 seconds after the first run, but fell behind at the final split in the second run before powering home in the closeout to secure victory.
"I really know I have to push in the last bit," Odermatt said. "I know I can ski faster than the others and it was definitely needed in this last pitch."
With the victory, Odermatt became the third Alpine skier in World Cup history to win 10 successive races in a single discipline, joining Ingemar Stenmark (SWE), who won 14 straight giant slalom races from 1978-80, and Annemarie Moser-Proell (AUT), who claimed 11 consecutive downhill victories from 1972-74.
The Swiss champion's last loss in giant slalom came at this very resort a year ago, when he led going into the second run before coming second to Marco Schwarz (AUT). But that wasn't on his mind as he prepared for his second run on Saturday.
"I think I know how to deal with this situation, standing last on the top," he said. "I like the feeling, it means you've been the best in the first run, everything is set for a great final run."
Although a difficult hard-left turn coming onto a steep pitch in the first third of the course caught out several top skiers before him, Odermatt took the turn more conservatively to set up his victory.
"You have to ski smooth and take a higher line and also have to ski smart some gates, and like this I was able to push to the finish line even if I had a little bit of luck for the hundredths today," he said.
Those hundredths allowed him to gain another 100 World Cup points to move 1,001 ahead of Manuel Feller (AUT) and sew up the overall title with 10 races remaining. Odermatt also leads the giant slalom, super-G and downhill standings.
Additionally, the Swiss ace won his 35th World Cup race to move past Alexis Pinturault (FRA) into outright ninth place on the men's all-time list, only one win behind Alpine skiing legends Benni Raich (AUT) and Aksel Lund Svindal (NOR).
A skier who Odermatt overtook on that list earlier this season, Kristoffersen, could not add to his 30 World Cup victories on Saturday but skied his best race of a campaign that has been marred by equipment difficulties.
"For us it was 100 per cent a step in the right direction," said the veteran Norwegian, who put together two scintillating runs to almost steal the win.
"Of course, Marco is on a big roll," Kristoffersen said. "We tried to bring him down from this roll and it was tight today, but that's life and he's an amazing skier."
While Kristoffersen's second place was a season-best result, Radamus outdid him by finishing a career-high third after putting two great runs together to finally turn his undeniable talent into a podium result.
"It's been a long time coming," admitted the 26-year-old, who animatedly threw his ski pole into the snow in delight after skiing into a guaranteed podium position.
"I've wanted to feel what this moment feels like for so long and I've just kept working and working and working.
"Sometimes I thought it would never come, but doing it on home soil, in front of all my friends and family and such an amazing American crowd, it just means everything to me."
Radamus' performance drew congratulations from his rivals and turned Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) into a prophet for her words after the pair just missed the podium in the mixed team event at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games.
"His medals are coming, that's not something I'm ever worried about," Shiffrin said.
