CRANS-MONTANA, Switzerland — The Swiss men’s ski team delivered an impressive performance on Sunday, securing a 1-2 finish in the World Cup super-G, though they fell short of a complete podium sweep. Marco Odermatt triumphed over Alexis Monney by a mere 0.28 seconds, captivating the local fans. This victory followed their second and third place finishes in the previous day’s downhill event, where their teammate Franjo von Allmen took the top spot.
Von Allmen was unable to maintain his momentum in the super-G, finishing in seventh place. This allowed Italy’s Dominik Paris to claim the third step on the podium, finishing 0.39 seconds slower than Odermatt, who continues to showcase his skiing prowess following his gold medal win in the super-G at the recent world championships.
Odermatt’s success solidifies his lead in both the overall World Cup standings and the super-G category. The 27-year-old Swiss skier amassed 100 race points, significantly widening his already commanding lead with just a month left in the season, which will culminate in races at Sun Valley, Idaho. Currently, he holds a 500-point advantage over Henrik Kristoffersen, who does not compete in downhill or super-G events, and enjoys a 605-point lead over fellow Swiss skier Loïc Meillard.
This victory marked Odermatt’s 45th career win in the World Cup circuit, placing him sixth on the all-time men’s list, which is led by Ingemar Stenmark with 86 wins. His 15th triumph in super-G occurred on the Nationale slope at Crans-Montana, which is set to host the world championships in 2027.
Starting in bib No. 15, Odermatt’s winning performance featured the fifth change of lead in a thrilling race. A potential sixth change did not materialize when Norwegian contender Fredrik Moeller, who started in 11th, skied out after losing balance upon landing a considerable jump near the finish line.
“Winning here again was truly amazing,” Odermatt remarked to Swiss broadcaster RTS. “Usually, starting with bib 15 isn’t ideal, and this was anything but a typical race.”
Despite the cloudy weather, the racers maintained speeds comparable to those seen in Saturday’s sunny downhill run. The fastest time recorded was by Italy’s Mattia Casse in fifth place, who reached speeds exceeding 125 kph (77 mph).
Next weekend, the men’s World Cup will shift to Slovenia for a series of giant slalom and slalom races in Kranjska Gora. With six races remaining this season in the giant slalom and slalom categories, Kristoffersen and Meillard will still be in contention, although Odermatt’s strong performances in speed events and giant slalom suggest that the giant crystal globe could be virtually decided by Saturday.
