Beaver Creek, Colorado — Swiss skier Marco Odermatt claimed a thrilling victory in his first World Cup race of the season on Saturday, triumphing in the super-G event held at Beaver Creek.

The reigning three-time overall World Cup champion found himself trailing by just eight-hundredths of a second as he approached the final checkpoint. However, in a remarkable display of skill, he managed to overtake that gap over the last 18 seconds, ultimately finishing ahead of France’s Cyprien Sarrazin by a margin of 18-hundredths of a second.

Odermatt completed the challenging Birds of Prey course with a time of 1 minute and 9.41 seconds. Austrian skier Lukas Feurstein secured third place, achieving his first podium finish with a time of 1:09.88.

“Today was incredibly tough,” Odermatt reflected on his performance. “The top section was a bit rough, and it required a strategic approach in the middle part. The course was quite fast with big turns, and there were substantial rolls this year that made it challenging to maintain an optimal line.”

Notably, Odermatt celebrated his first World Cup victory nearly four years earlier at the same venue, Beaver Creek.

“This is incredible—I could have never imagined this,” he expressed. “It all began some years back, and I’m hopeful it can continue for a while longer. Beaver Creek is incredibly significant for me, especially after my initial win here. The atmosphere is fantastic, and we truly enjoy skiing in this location.”

River Radamus, hailing from Colorado, stood out as the top American finisher in the event, concluding the race in eighth place with a time of 1:01.25.

The Colorado leg of the World Cup will conclude on Sunday with the giant slalom race, during which Odermatt previously secured a second-place finish in the downhill event on Friday.