KITZBUEHEL, Austria (AP) — Swiss ski star Marco Odermatt finally added Kitzbuehel to his list of World Cup victories on Friday, winning an eventful super-G at the iconic Austrian resort that saw a handful of racers crash badly.
It was the 44th career win for the skier who has been dominating World Cup racing for the past three seasons, but Odermatt hadn’t finished better than second in 10 previous starts on one of the toughest courses of the circuit.
“It’s an amazing day for me," said Odermatt, adding that winning Saturday's downhill remained “the big goal” for him this season.
The annual downhill at the posh ski resort is arguably the most prestigious event of the World Cup season, attended by 45,000 spectators, including a range of representatives of politics and entertainment.
“But it’s a big step for me today, winning the super-G and having the golden (chamois) is very nice," said Odermatt, referring to the animal-shaped winner's trophy.
“For me, it was a very solid race. I tried to be clever, that’s what was needed today,” Odermatt said. “I think in every section of the course some racers were faster than me, but a race is about who is the fastest from top to bottom.”
The race was interrupted numerous times after racers crashed, most notably when Alexis Pinturault was airlifted off the course with a right knee injury.
Entering a left turn, Pinturault caught a bump and his right ski hit a gate before he slid off the course. He initially stood up but laid down again and tapped on his right knee when medics attended him.
The French ski federation said Pinturault suffered a significant bone bruise on the medial plateau and a minor fracture of the medial meniscus, adding he would travel to France for treatment.
Pinturault, a three-time Olympic medalist who won the 2021 World Cup overall championship, competed only in his eighth race since returning from an 11-month layoff for an injury to his left knee.
“So many crashes, especially Alexis again, that hurts,” said Odermatt, adding he tried to pick a rounder race line in the section where many crashed over the icy bumps.
Racing in perfect, mostly sunny conditions, Odermatt wasn't clean in some sections but reacted quickly to regain his balance or get back on the ideal race line.
Among the early starters with bib No. 8, Odermatt hardly celebrated when he crossed the finish, seemingly unsure whether his leading time would hold up.
It did in the end, though Raphael Haaser trailed Odermatt by only 0.11 seconds in second in the Austrian’s first race after an injury layoff of nearly six weeks. Swiss teammates Stefan Rogentin and Franjo von Allmen placed third and fourth, respectively.
“It was a pretty solid run, especially in the lower part pretty good,” Haaser said. “It’s amazing. I live about 45 minutes from here, so it’s really a home race for me.”
Canada had two skiers in the top 10, with North Vancouver’s Cameron Alexander placing fifth, just 0.60 seconds behind Odermatt, and Toronto’s James Crawford finishing eighth, 0.09 back of Cameron.
“The last time I raced the super-G here was in 2020 and I made it about seven gates, so making it all the way down and having a top five feels great,” said Alexander, who moved into seventh in the World Cup super-G overall standings. “We’ve got a really strong group and everyone is skiing well. Having five guys in the top 30 shows what our group can do."
Odermatt extended his lead in both the overall and discipline standings. He became the only skier with a second win in the discipline this season, after the first four super-G races got four different winners.
The racers ranked second and third behind him in the super-G standings, Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr and Norway’s Fredrik Moeller, didn’t start, a week after they both had crashes in a downhill at another classic venue, Wengen.
The super-G opened the 85th edition of the classic Hahnenkamm races, which have a prize fund of more than 1 million euros ($1.05 million), with the winners of each race earning 100,000 euros ($105,000).
After Saturday's downhill, the event concludes with a slalom on Sunday.
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With files from The Canadian Press
https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
The Associated Press