Odermatt chases yet more immortality at men’s World Cup Finals

There are just three men who can conceivably stop Marco Odermatt (SUI) from becoming the first man in 23 years to claim four season-ending Crystal Globe titles when the Audi FIS World Cup season comes to a thrilling close with the Finals in Saalbach, Austria 16-24 March.

One of them is the man himself not performing to his own extra-terrestrial standards – unlikely it seems given his record of 13 wins and seven podium finishes from his 23 starts this season. It is worth noting his other three finishes are a fourth and two sevenths.

The second skier who could prevent Odermatt from adding to his already secured overall and giant slalom titles said last month “there is no hope”. To the slight dismay of the home crowd no doubt, it was Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT) who gave this honest assessment of his chances of overhauling Odermatt’s 81-point lead in the super-G standings.

So, it comes down to one of the season’s breakout stars, Cyprien Sarrazin (FRA) to do his best to stop the Swiss winning machine.

Unmissable downhill duel

The pair’s high-speed duel in the final race of the season, the men’s downhill, is set to be a Finals highlight. Although, all skiing fans will be crossing everything in the hope that the Frenchman makes it to the start line, having been out injured since a training run incident in Kvitfjell in mid-February.

The rivalry has certainly been brilliant to watch all season, culminating in breath-taking back-to-back weekends of action in two of the most iconic sporting venues worldwide.

First, the pair went head-to-head down the Lauberhorn in Wengen, Odermatt winning his first World Cup downhill in incredible style, with Sarazzin second.

Two days later, they repeated the act – just over a second separating the duo over the two races.

Then came Kitzbuhel and double revenge for Sarrazin. Although, Florian Schieder (ITA) jumped between the two of them in the opener down the Hahnenkamm.

All in all, Odermatt comes to the final downhill race with a 42-point advantage over Sarrazin. Will it be enough?

Unbeatable in GS?

That is all for the final race of the Finals on 24 March, but it is in the men’s opener on Saturday that Odermatt can lay down a first piece of history. Nine times the Swiss megastar has lined up in World Cup giant slaloms this season and nine times he has emerged triumphant. Can he secure an unbeaten season and with it a 13th GS victory in-a-row?

It would take a brave person to bet against him.

Should he complete a clean-sweep he will start next season one GS race win away from matching Ingemar Stenmark’s 14 successive wins, secured back in 1978/79.

Odermatt moves in such rarefied air these days that he is often becoming his only competitor. So it is in the overall stakes, with the 26-year-old looking extremely likely to break his one-season old record of 2,042 points given the arrives in Saalbach with 1,902 points to his name.

Welcome home triumph

All this Swiss celebrating may be a little hard for the home fans to get behind but they are guaranteed to have their moment in the sun too. Manuel Feller (AUT) was in the car when he found out that at 31 he had finally claimed his first Crystal Globe.

The new men’s slalom champion has been exceptional all season and will no doubt get a fitting reception on home snow.

Having won just twice previously since his World Cup debut in 2012, Feller has climbed to the top step of the podium four times already in 2023/24 and is yet to finish outside the top-five.

Germany’s Linus Strasser has pushed him hard and will be aiming to end his best ever season with a bang but Odermatt’s compatriot Loic Meillard may well be the one to add to the cow bell clangour.

Third in the slalom standings, third in the GS standings, third overall and with a super-G podium to his name, Meillard has proved himself an all-rounder of almost Odermatt’s class. There is no better complement.

Click here for the full schedule of World Cup Final races.