Marco Odermatt’s season finale took a stunning turn Tuesday, as the Swiss star failed to finish the first run of the giant slalom in Lillehammer, jeopardizing his bid for the discipline’s crystal globe.
The unexpected result for Odermatt comes after he admitted Sunday following a 19th-place finish in the super-G that he was struggling to find the necessary intensity for the race.
That impression continued Tuesday. Odermatt looked unsteady throughout the giant slalom run, nearly losing control after just 20 seconds of skiing, narrowly avoiding a disqualification. Even then, he had already conceded significant time.
Just as he appeared to regain his line, Odermatt caught an edge and missed a gate, ending his race. It marked a disappointing culmination to a mixed showing at the Lillehammer finale. This was Odermatt’s second giant slalom disqualification of the season, following a similar result in Copper Mountain, USA in late November.
Odermatt: “I didn’t wish to calculate”
“I had a decent feeling, didn’t start that badly,” Odermatt said, “maybe I went a little too aggressively into the run with these waves. I wanted to accept advantage of starting number 1.”
He explained he wanted to finish the season with a strong performance, “which for me means I’m fighting for the win, not just ‘getting down the hill’,” Odermatt stated. He acknowledged his desire to win the globe, “but mistakes happen.”
Pinheiro Braathen poised to capitalize
Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, Odermatt’s closest challenger in the battle for the crystal globe, remained calm and posted the fastest time in the first run. A fourth-place finish would now be enough for Pinheiro Braathen to overtake Odermatt (a 48-point deficit).
Loïc Meillard, who is still mathematically in contention for the discipline title with an 89-point gap to Odermatt, sits in third place. Thomas Tumler and Luca Aerni are currently 13th and 15th, respectively. The second run is scheduled to begin at 12:30 PM (live on SRF zwei and the SRF Sport App).
Results
