VAL d’ISERE, France — Marco Odermatt, the Olympic champion, triumphed in a men’s World Cup giant slalom that faced challenging weather conditions on Saturday, marking his initial points this season in the discipline.
The competition took place on the difficult Face de Bellevarde course amidst dense snowfall and poor visibility, which severely impacted the latter part of the race. Although Odermatt lost over three seconds off his trail during the final run in these tough conditions, he held onto his first-run lead to clinch victory by a narrow margin.
Following him on the podium were Austrian skiers Patrick Feurstein and Stefan Brennsteiner, who finished just 0.08 and 0.12 seconds behind him, respectively. This result marked a significant milestone for Feurstein, as it was his first career top-three finish.
Odermatt described the experience as “one of the biggest fights” he has encountered. He expressed his affinity for the atmosphere during the race, noting, “I love this atmosphere, when it’s getting dark and snowy, like winter should be. This is exactly for me; I really liked the tough conditions.”
Last season, the three-time overall champion dominated the giant slalom circuit, winning nine of ten races, though his momentum was halted when he failed to finish the final event in March and the opening two races of the current season. Reflecting on his performance, Odermatt stated, “I never lost my confidence; I knew I’m still fast, and I still can win races.” His excitement was palpable as he celebrated finishing victorious, hitting his chest with joy.
With this latest win, Odermatt equaled the career tally of American Ted Ligety, a well-known giant slalom racer who achieved 24 victories in the discipline from 2006 to 2015. The only athletes to surpass this in World Cup giant slalom history are Marcel Hirscher with 31 wins and Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark with an impressive 46 wins.
Hirscher, an eight-time overall champion from Austria, recently concluded his comeback season after an ACL injury he sustained during a training run last week.
The variable weather conditions benefited several lower-ranked skiers, particularly Swiss teammate Luca Aerni. Starting last among the 62 competitors, Aerni barely qualified for the second run in 30th position but went on to clock the fastest time in the final leg, ultimately finishing fourth, just 0.11 seconds shy of the podium.
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil, who previously secured the country’s first World Cup podium in Alpine skiing and led the giant slalom season standings, struggled in the first run and finished 2.35 seconds behind the leader. He did not complete his second run, failing to accumulate any points.
Henrik Kristoffersen, after finishing second in the first run, slipped to fifth place but surpassed Pinheiro Braathen in the overall discipline standings. He currently leads the overall standings with 290 points, holding a ten-point advantage over Odermatt.
Thomas Tumler, the winner of last week’s race in Beaver Creek, Colorado, placed 25th, finishing 1.80 seconds behind Odermatt.
Alexander Steen Olsen, who won the season-opening giant slalom in October, was absent from the race due to an ongoing knee issue. He returned to Norway for recovery but is expected to compete in the upcoming giant slalom in Alta Badia, Italy.
Clement Noel, the Olympic slalom champion from France, experienced a mishap when he skied through a gate and slid off into safety netting. While he managed to get back up, he was evaluated by a team doctor and later descended to the finish area. The French team reported that he sprained his ankle and would decide on his participation in Sunday’s slalom following a warm-up session.