Alpine skiing: Odermatt faces competition with a thousand faces

Undisputed master of alpine skiing for three seasons, the Swiss Marco Odermatt sees a slew of new opponents appear just as he approaches the January classics, decisive in refining his legend.

At only 27 years old, the Nidwalden star will seek his fourth consecutive victory on Sunday in the Adelboden giant, in front of his home crowd, a feat achieved only by the Swede Ingemar Stenmark (between 1979 and 1982).

“I have nothing more to prove there, I can just enjoy”put into perspective last Sunday the world No. 1 with 41 World Cup successes, sweeping away all pressure when approaching the formidable Chuenisbärgli.

In the tablets of men’s skiing, five myths still stand before him: Stenmark and his 86 victories, the Austrians Marcel Hirscher (67), whose return to the circuit this season was cut short after a serious knee injury, and Hermann Maier (54), the Italian Alberto Tomba (50) and the Luxembourger Marc Girardelli (46).

Before being thirsty for numbers, « Odi » especially hunting the last tracks which are missing from his record in the three disciplines he competes in, the giant, the downhill and the super-G, of which he already dominates the three provisional rankings.

Sarrazin and Kilde seriously injured

From the off-season, the tall blond had ticked off a date: Saturday January 25, the day of the Kitzbühel descent, where he had to lose twice last season against a Cyprien Sarrazin in a state of grace.

But the Frenchman fell violently at the end of December during official training in Bormio (Italy): seriously injured in the head, he will begin a long convalescence and the rest of his career is very uncertain.

The Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, winner of the 2022 and 2023 downhill globes, had to draw a line under the season: after a heavy fall in January 2024 during the downhill in Wengen (Switzerland), he had to suffer in the fall a new operation to treat a shoulder infection.

Orphaned by his two great rivals in speed, who offered the public the most beautiful battles of recent seasons, Odermatt on the other hand sees a myriad of new faces flourishing on the podiums.

Of the ten events contested by the Swiss since the start of the season, he has certainly won four (the super-G of Beaver Creek, the descent of Val Gardena which until then had always eluded him, and the giants of Val d’Isère and Alta Badia).

More careful than before?

But five of these races crowned skiers who had never before achieved success on the world circuit, an extremely rare influx of new winners mixing veterans and young guns on the circuit.

Thus the Swiss Thomas Tumler (35 years old) and Justin Murisier (32 years old) won the giant of Sölden then the descent of Beaver Creek, the Italian Mattia Casse (34 years old) dominated the super G of Val Gardena, and the young Valaisan Alexis Monney and Norwegian Fredrik Moeller, 24 years old each, respectively won the downhill and super-G in Bormio.

Added to this, among the French giants, is the astonishing Léo Anguenot, second at Alta Badia – his first World Cup podium – and who now wants “go for victory”.

None appear consistent enough to thwart Odermatt’s race for a fourth big globe in a row – he is already 270 points ahead of Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen.

But they all show that the genius of skiing can be taken in a race, especially since the accumulation of injuries around him – he is close to Kilde and Sarrazin and his teammate Gino Caviezel also injured his knee and back. shoulder in Bormio – can limit its risk-taking.

“On days like this, hundredths don’t count. I’m just relieved that I didn’t get seriously injured.”he commented after a big scare on the descent from Bormio (5th at the finish).