contents
Favorite Marco Odermatt is eliminated in the Super-G after a good run like Beat Feuz. The Austrian Matthias Mayer gets his 3rd Olympic gold.
The medals
- 1. Matthias Mayer (AUT) 1:19.94 minutes
- 2. Ryan Cochran-Siegle (USA) +0.04 seconds
- 3. Aleksander Kilde (NOR) +0.42
Marco Odermatt and the big events – it’s not (yet) the big love. The Nidwaldner, along with Aleksander Kilde one of the two top favorites for Super G gold in Yanqing, has to wait for his first medal at the Olympic Games or a World Championship. The 24-times podium rider in the World Cup retired after about a minute of driving, only 7 hundredths behind Kilde. Just after the technically demanding middle part, a compression on the exit was fatal for Odermatt. The risky ride ended with his ski clipping and a goal being missed.
If I risk just one percent less, I won’t be competing for the medals.
Visibly disappointed, he had to watch how the competitors battled it out for the medals. Of course he was disappointed that such a mistake happened to him at the Olympics. But Odermatt also found something positive: “I can’t blame myself, I risked everything.” That was also necessary: ”If I risk just one percent less, I won’t go for the medals.”
Mayer Olympic champion for the third time
At the top, Matthias Mayer repeated his triumph from 4 years ago – and after winning gold in 2014, he became Olympic champion for the 3rd time. It was a wild hussar ride that gave the downhill third of the day before the next precious metal. At the start he had to brake and back up at the last moment because his stick got caught and he triggered the sensor almost too early. Throughout the race, Mayer trailed behind Kilde, who was leading at the time. Before he took 65 (!) hundredths from the Norwegian in the last 20 seconds of driving – and then said a few words of thanks to his service man.
Only Ryan Cochran-Siegle made the Carinthian tremble again thanks to the impressive middle section. Kilde defended 3rd place and – hard to believe – won a medal for the first time at a major event.
The Swiss
- 14. Stefan Rogentin +1.63
- 16.Gino Caviezel +1.82
- OUT Marco Odermatt
- OUT Beat Feuz
After the Odermatt out and missed possible exploits by Stefan Rogentin and Gino Caviezel, it was up to Beat Feuz to save the Swiss honor. The freshly crowned downhill champion, who won Super-G silver four years ago in Pyeongchang, only made one brief appearance. After a turbulent start, he missed a goal after just 16 seconds of driving. “I actually felt relaxed, but it wasn’t supposed to be,” Feuz said calmly. When he failed, he was simply too close. The Schangnauer still leaves “of course with positive images in his head”.
And the two people from Graubünden also had no chance in the fight for a diploma. With start number 1, Rogentin lacked the necessary information about the run (“It’s always difficult in the Super-G”), Caviezel missed a better position because of an insufficient final part. “Unfortunately, today was a black day for Switzerland. That’s the sport,” said the 29-year-old.
Here’s how to proceed
In the night to Wednesday Swiss time, the artists in the pole forest are in demand. The first slalom run is scheduled for 3:15 a.m., and the decision follows three and a half hours later. The next day the men compete in the combination. On Sunday, February 13, Odermatt offers the next chance for the longed-for medal at a major event in the giant slalom.