SELVA DI VAL GARDENA, Italy — Marco Odermatt’s quest for a victory in Val Gardena continues as he finished third in the super-G event held on the Saslong course. The reigning three-time overall World Cup champion was 0.43 seconds behind Mattia Casse, who celebrated his first career win in this race.

Despite this being Odermatt’s fourth time on the podium at the scenic Italian Dolomites location, he has yet to secure a win, having only achieved a second-place finish in the past. He expressed that the course’s design did not play to his strengths, stating, “For me, coming from a giant slalom background, it’s not easy without any turns.”

On a day with overcast skies and intermittent snowfall, American skier Jared Goldberg claimed second place, finishing just 0.01 seconds behind Casse. This marked Goldberg’s first podium finish after participating in 168 World Cup races. He shared his thoughts on the unique challenge of the Gardena course, noting, “The key to Gardena is that it is flat with a lot of steep to flats and very close to freeskiing. I grew up free skiing in Utah at Snowbird, and I think that background helps here.”

Fredrik Moeller from Norway secured the fourth spot, matching his result from a super-G race in Beaver Creek, Colorado, two weeks prior. French skier Cyprien Sarrazin faced difficulties early in his run by going off course, while Austria’s Daniel Danklmaier struggled as he tumbled after straddling a gate.

Casse, at 34 years old, had previously achieved a best result of third place on three occasions, including a podium finish in the Val Gardena downhill event two years ago. The downhill race is set to take place on Saturday at Saslong before the circuit heads to the nearby venue of Alta Badia.

In related news, Lindsey Vonn is expected to make her much-anticipated return from retirement during the women’s races in St. Moritz, Switzerland, this weekend, garnering excitement from fans and athletes alike.