Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt celebrates at the finish area of Saturday’s men’s World Cup downhill race in Val Gardena, Italy.
SELVA DI VAL GARDENA, Italy — Marco Odermatt finally conquered the Saslong and the Swiss standout did it in style.
Odermatt put down what he called “one of my best” downhill runs on Saturday to win a World Cup race in Val Gardena as the three-time overall World Cup champion looked like back to his imperious best.
The 27-year-old beat Swiss teammate Franjo von Allmen by 0.45 seconds for his first victory at the resort in the Italian Dolomites. Odermatt had had four podium finishes there — including in Saturday’s super-G — but had never been better than second.
It was Odermatt’s 40th World Cup victory but only his third in downhill.
“It was one of my best downhills,” Odermatt said. “If you want to win the downhill, you need the perfect run and today already on the top, which is not really my section, I could ski very well and finally I also jumped well, and then it was really perfect. So yeah, very happy with the run.”
It had also been a less than stellar start to the season for Odermatt — by his lofty standards — and he yelled out in joy several times after crossing the line, before taking off his skis and raising them up and letting out another long shout.
Before Odermatt came down it had been an incredibly tight race, with the top three separated by just 0.02. In the end, American skier Ryan Cochran-Siegle finished third, with Nils Allègre of France missing out on what would have been only his second ever podium finish by one hundredth of a second.
It was Cochrane-Siegle’s third podium after also finishing third in Val Gardena four years ago and winning the super-G in Bormio 10 days later.
“It was good skiing, it was fun,” he said. “Gardena is a really challenging hill to ski, in the sense of skiing fast. I’ve had runs here where I thought I’d put down a good one, and it’s been seconds out, so you really never know until you cross the finish line.
“I was just focusing on trying to carry speed as much as possible. When I ski my best I do that — keeping skiing really simple, back to basics.”
Odermatt won the downhill World Cup title last season, as well as the super-G, giant slalom and overall crystal globes.
The only previous downhill this season was in Beaver Creek, where Odermatt finished second to teammate Justin Murisier.
Odermatt moved 78 points above Murisier in the downhill standings and 50 points above Henrik Kristoffersen in the overall.
The circuit moves to nearby Alta Badia where there is a giant slalom on Sunday and a slalom the following day.
Meanwhile, Lindsey Vonn finished 14th in a super-G in St. Moritz, Switzerland to mark her return to World Cup skiing at age 40. Her comeback continues in a super-G in St. Moritz on Sunday.
Subscribe to stay connected to Tucson. A subscription helps you access more of the local stories that keep you connected to the community.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Gerard Meurer and Kim Scanlan are the owners of Baja Café, the beloved breakfast spot that has gained a loyal following thanks to their unique…
While working as a chef at a pub near the University of Arizona in 2006, Tucson native Jason met his future wife, Celia, who was then working …
For subscribers: Daiso opened its first Tucson store on Sunrise and Kolb in August.
Ana Orsini had been a morning anchor with KOLD since June 2023.
From strolling through the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum and the Winterhaven Festival of Lights to eating dinner at The Coronet or Panda House,…
Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt celebrates at the finish area of Saturday’s men’s World Cup downhill race in Val Gardena, Italy.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
