HAFJELL, Norway — Marco Odermatt, the dominant force in the current World Cup skiing season, positioned himself for victory in a giant slalom event with an impressive first-run performance over rival Henrik Kristoffersen on Saturday. The race holds significant importance as Odermatt stands poised to secure his fourth consecutive overall World Cup title.
During the opening run, Odermatt placed third behind his Swiss compatriots, Loic Meillard and Thomas Tumler. Despite this, he managed a remarkable 1.18-second lead over Kristoffersen, who found himself in 15th place. Kristoffersen, to stay in contention for the overall title, needs a much stronger finish than Odermatt.
Odermatt maintains a substantial lead in the overall standings, currently ahead of the Norwegian by 570 points. He can clinch the prestigious crystal globe if this gap remains above 500 points following the race, with only five events remaining in the season. The Swiss skier also leads Kristoffersen in the Giant Slalom (GS) standings, with a faint possibility of securing both titles simultaneously.
Odermatt reflected on his performance by saying, “A first run doesn’t say much, it’s not that I’m two seconds ahead. But it was a solid first run.”
Leading the first run, Meillard, a recent slalom gold medalist, was a mere 0.08 seconds ahead of Tumler, while Odermatt trailed by just 0.30 seconds. Kristoffersen, who had claimed victory in the previous Giant Slalom event in Slovenia, was significantly off pace on Saturday, trailing by 1.48 seconds.
The Norwegian team, which has achieved eight technical race wins this season, faced challenges during this particular home event. Only Alexander Steen Olsen was able to finish within a second of the lead.
Austria’s Stefan Brennsteiner held fourth place, while Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, aiming for Brazil’s first-ever top-level ski race victory since transferring from the Norwegian federation, was fifth.
This event in Hafjell marks the return of a men’s World Cup race to the location, the first since 2003.
