Fastest men on skis gear up for high-octane season-long battle
Nov 10, 2023·Alpine Skiing
Epic rivalries punctuate great sport and to a list including the likes of Federer v Nadal, Ali v Frazier and Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) v history, you might soon need to add Marco Odermatt (SUI) v Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR).
Last season the pair dominated men’s speed skiing, duelling back and forth while flying down mountains at speeds of more than 120 kmh (75 mph). Between them they swept the board in the Audi FIS Ski World Cup super-G, while Kilde grabbed six of the 10 downhill titles and Odermatt finished second three times.
It is a battle that has left many craving the next instalment and the wait is nearly over.
The King of Norway’s ‘Attacking Vikings’ and the Swiss star will finally resume their rivalry on Saturday, 11 November at 11:30 CET down the newly inaugurated ‘Gran Becca’ downhill course in Zermatt-Cervinia.
Tune in for Kilde v Odermatt: the next episode
A course that begins higher than any other in FIS World Cup history (3800m) and crosses an international border, speeding from Switzerland into Italy during its descent, seems like the perfect place for Kilde and Odermatt to start what could be another season-long thriller.
While Kilde comfortably claimed a second downhill crystal globe after a series of truly brilliant and fearless displays last season…
…he would not have been quite so comfortable watching his great rival improve his raw speed race by race.
It all came to a head at the 2023 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships when Odermatt produced the downhill display his season had long been threatening, to push Kilde into silver-medal position and take gold by almost half a second.
A first-ever World Cup downhill title is surely not far away for the Swiss skier. Perhaps the Didier Defago-designed Zermatt-Cervinia course will deliver it – Odermatt certainly appears to like the look of it:
What is so exciting for speed fans is that the difference between the two is arguably even tighter in the super-G.
By most standards, Kilde’s efforts in the discipline would have been more than enough to retain his title last season: two wins and four podium places from eight races. But those sorts of numbers are not quite good enough when Odermatt is around. The 26-year-old won six races and finished second and third in the other two.
Remarkably, the duo have won 14 of the 15 World Cup super-G races since November 2021.
Austrians aiming to crash the party
The last person not named Odermatt or Kilde to win a World Cup super-G race is likely to be the man the pair fear most. Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) has his own speed double to fall back on, having claimed both the downhill and super-G world championship titles in 2021. A four-time winner last season, the 32-year-old should not be going in under the radar, but he may well enjoy the sensation.
Despite three-time Olympic speed champion Matthias Mayer (AUT) surprisingly retiring mid-way through last season, Kriechmayr was eventually joined by four compatriots inside the top 15 of the super-G standings. Stefan Babinsky (AUT) recorded a career-best finish in the discipline, Raphael Haaser (AUT) achieved his best overall ranking to date, while Daniel Hemetsberger (AUT) was his usual consistent self and Marco Schwarz (AUT) continued to prove his immense all-round talent.
Expect the five-strong brigade to be a threat.
Ones to watch
Alexis Pinturault (FRA), the man rivalling Schwarz for the title as the men’s best all-rounder, produced some startlingly good super-G displays last time out. Fifth in the event’s standings and a world championship bronze medal showed the Frenchman is nearing his very best once more.
The man who beat him to gold in Courchevel Meribel in February would no doubt love to add the consistency Pinturault has long displayed to his skiing. Canada’s James Crawford shone almost as brightly as the biggest of downhill beasts at times last season – finishing second twice and third once – and is certainly one to watch.
Elsewhere, with the great Johan Clarey (FRA) having hung up his skis aged 42, it is down to the 34-year-old Dominik Paris (ITA), among a few others, to represent the older guard. The indefatigable Italian has finished inside the top five of the downhill standings in all but one of the past nine seasons.
Whatever you do, make sure you tune in to watch the fastest men on skis go head-to-head.
