Ski Alpin – Marco Odermatt: Swiss king becomes world champion in Austria

The view here is great from the leading chair. The view on the screen is just as free as on the finish passage and the fantastic panorama. Well, the mountain peaks in the Salzburg Glemmtal may have been less interested in Marco Odermatt this Friday. But maybe the Swiss also pursued the journeys of the competition in this Super G at the Alpine World Ski Championships only out of courtesy and fair play. It should have been clear to him that the time he had presented that no one would be able to crack anymore.

“Odermatt,” said Adrian Smiseth Sejersted appreciatively, “drives in a different class.” The Norwegian ended up in third place in the first individual competition of men in these title fights behind Raphael Haaser from Austria. A look at the intervals confirms Sejsted’s statement: The winner from the Swiss Ski team was a second faster than Haaser and 1.15 seconds than the third place. The Super-G winner had won only once in the World Cup history with an even bigger lead. The Austrian Stephan Eberharter was in 1991, also in Saalbach, 1.54 seconds faster than Kjetil Andre Aamodt from Norway. His run, the Odermatt, which was launched with number eight, admitted to ORF, was “very close” in perfection. “There are not many days like that. I already felt in the second, third goal that the ski does what I want. ”

From this point of view, the German starters drove in the third division at most. The Simon Jocher handicapped by a heel bruise was the best than 18 with 2.45 seconds behind. Romed Baumann landed four places behind. And World Cup debutant Luis Vogt fell into the target slope when entering, but apparently got away lightly. According to initial information, the Garmisch-Partenkirchner only suffered a few bruises, his start in the departure next Sunday should not be at risk.

Yes, Odermatt was the big favorite in the Super G. He leads the rating in this discipline in the World Cup and won two of the previous five season races. But the 27-year-old had had to find out that this does not necessarily mean something. Odermatt had dominated the Super-G at least as clearly as this winter before the title fights in Courchevel, but then it was fourth but empty. He shook himself briefly at the time-and then simply won the next two World Cup races, the descent and the giant slalom.

Now the Swiss ski king is part of the illustrious circle of those athletes who brought gold in the gold in the title fights, Super G and giant slalom. The same had once succeeded in the Austrian ski hero Hermann Maier and Bode Miller from the USA, before that also Odermatt’s compatriot Pirmin.

Last Wednesday, the Swiss team invited to the “Swiss Ski-Stübli” for the media appointment, which is curiously located in the “Home of Snow” that is located. The two competitors who fought with a loving dislike on the snow celebrate side by side – the hosts very generously on the first floor, Switzerland very small on the ground floor. The focus was of course on this date. With his lousy smile, he moderated the pressure. “Sure, I would also take three or four gold. But I am not concerned with such records in front of a World Cup, that can’t be the focus, «he said. For him, every World Cup has a special story. “After Courzevel, where I had to get gold, and Saalbach is one that I can enjoy in front of Crans Montana at home.”

After his triumph on Friday, the Olympic champion, three overall World Cup winners and now also three world champions, revealed that he was at the start “looser than at many World Cup races this season”. “I no longer feel pressure. If a race does not work, the world will not go under. I’ve already won so much, «said Odermatt. Almost everything to be precise.