(Paris) A hundredth of a second and only one point: with nothing, the Swiss Marco Odermatt ensured on Saturday in Palisades Tahoe to win the Alpine Ski World Cup for the third year in a row, thanks to a 10e consecutive success in giant slalom.
To secure the big crystal globe on Saturday, even before the last ten races of the winter, “Odi”, 26 years old, had to win in the Californian resort where he lost last year (his last defeat giant), and increase its lead in the general classification to more than 1000 points, enough to be uncatchable whatever happens between now and the end of the season (a victory is worth 100 points).
The contract was precisely fulfilled: at the end of a crazy race, Odermatt is now 1001 points ahead of his runner-up in the general classification, the Austrian Manuel Feller, eighth on Saturday only one hundredth of a seventh place which would have delayed the coronation of the Swiss.
“It was super tight, I didn’t have the best feeling on the skis, but I knew that at the end, in the last sector, I could ski fast and that’s what I needed to do today,” he reacted.
Giant grand slam?
To win your 35th on Saturdaye victory in the World Cup, his eleventh of the winter, Marco Odermatt had to work until the end to beat the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen (2e at 12 hundredths of a second) and the American River Radamus (+ 1 sec 37).
Imperial since the start of winter, Odermatt thus signs his tenth consecutive success in giant, he who has not lost in his favorite discipline since the race at Palisades Tahoe almost a year ago exactly, when he took the second place behind Marco Schwarz.
Since then, Odermatt has not let go of the first places and is slowly approaching the record series of 15 consecutive victories in giants achieved over three seasons between 1978 and 1980 by Ingemar Stenmark. If he wins the four giants still on the program this winter, “Odi” can already join the Swedish ski legend who made the grand slam by winning all the giants of the 1978/1979 season 45 years ago.
If the big globe is assured for the third year in a row, the 26-year-old prodigy, seen as the future of Swiss skiing from his results in the youth categories, can still write the history of his sport.
One month from the end of the season, he is also at the top of the rankings for downhill, super-G and giant, the three disciplines in which he participates, something never seen since the Austrian Herman Maier in 2001.
With six races remaining between now and the end of the season (four giants, a super-G and a downhill), Odermatt (1702 points) can also improve his own record for points scored in a season (2042). last winter).
The men’s alpine skiing World Cup continues Sunday with slalom, still at Palisades Tahoe.