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Marco Odermatt wins on Chuenisbärgli thanks to two great performances. Justin Murisier narrowly missed the podium.
The podium
- 1. Marco Odermatt (SUI) 2: 34.45 minutes
- 2. Manuel Feller (AUT) +0.48 s
- 3. Alexis Pinturault (FRA) + 0.54
It’s done: after a 14-year break, a Swiss man has finally won the prestigious giant slalom in Adelboden again. It is no big surprise that Marco Odermatt succeeds in this feat: the Nidwalden celebrates his 4th victory in the 5th race of the season on the Chuenisbärgli and thus extends his tours of the overall and giant slalom World Cup. The last time Marc Berthod (before Daniel Albrecht) took home victory in the giant was in 2008.
Odermatt had already set the fastest time in the first run and started the second run last and with maximum pressure. The Austrian Manuel Feller (fifth at halftime) had conjured up a fabulous run in the snow and clearly distanced the competition. Only Alexis Pinturault (FRA), double winner last year, was able to keep up to some extent. Odermatt was not deterred by this and brought home victory with the second-best running time and an enormous show of strength on the last meters.
The other Swiss
- 4. Justin Murisier +1.77
- 8. Loïc Meillard +1.95
- 11. Gino Caviezel +3.27
- 22. Cédric Noger +4.54
- 27. Daniele Sette +4.95
Justin Murisier, who was last in shape, gave himself a present on his 30th birthday: Sixth after the 1st run, he climbed to 4th place thanks to a convincing performance on the final slope 12 and ranked better and better.
Loïc Meillard (8th) and Gino Caviezel can also be satisfied with their performances. Meillard defended his classification from the 1st run, Caviezel climbed to 11th place with an aggressive drive and the seventh best running time in the 2nd run. In the finish area, the man from Graubünden fell completely exhausted – the slope, like so many others this Saturday, had challenged him to the extreme.
Cédric Noger won World Cup points in his favorite discipline for the first time since his 28th place a year ago at the same location. Thomas Tumler and Marco Reymond, son of the former two-time overall World Cup winner Erika Hess, both retired in the first run; Reymond only got 25 driving seconds.
Top drivers fail – Braathen gives up
The slope on the Chuenisbärgli turned out to be extremely selective and physically demanding, especially in the first run. Four drivers out of the top 15 were eliminated in the first round, and co-favorite Lucas Braathen braked shortly before the steep slope for no apparent reason and ended his journey. “I had no stability in my left leg and I was too scared for the end,” said the Norwegian afterwards. The memories of his fall from the previous year should also have been with him.
So it goes on
After the giant slalom, a slalom race will follow as usual in Adelboden on Sunday. The ski entourage then moves to Wengen, where the speed specialists are first challenged again with a Super-G and two descents. On Sunday, a slalom is on the program at the end of the Lauberhorn races.