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Marco Odermatt (26) expands his mega series in Val d’Isère (Fr). With his victory he reached the giant slalom podium in the World Championship for the 18th time in a row. Impressive.
However, another driver is happy with his premiere: Joan Verdu (28). With third place, the Andorrean writes a piece of skiing history. Never before has an athlete from the Pyrenees state reached the podium. Until a few days ago, it was not even clear whether Verdu could even start in Val d’Isère.
Injury in early November
In early November he was injured during physical tests and was taken from the training hall on a stretcher. Diagnosis: Partial tear of the hamstring. “We are doing everything we can to optimize the recovery,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. A race against time began as a four to five week break was expected.
But the Andorrean got fit in time. He returned to skiing five days ago and announced on social media on Friday that he was ready despite fewer training days. Verdu has now shown how ready he is.
Fixed starting place and best Olympic result
He surprised everyone in the first run when he rode to 5th place with starting number 19. There is no sign of jittery nerves in the decision; instead, he continues to improve. And writes a new chapter in Andorran ski history.
In the 2021/22 season he won the giant slalom classification in the European Cup and was the first Andorrean to secure a permanent World Cup starting place. The next historic success was not long in coming. At the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing, he achieved the best result for his country by finishing ninth in the giant slalom.
And now he’s on stage. In his 28th race, Verdu finished in the top 3 for the first time. Before that, two 12th places were his best results. He achieved this last year in Alta Badia (It). And the next two giant slaloms will take place there on December 17 and 18. Who knows what he will show there, inspired by his first podium finish. (beer)
Source : Blick
I’m Emma Jack, a news website author at 24 News Reporters. I have been in the industry for over five years and it has been an incredible journey so far. I specialize in sports reporting and am highly knowledgeable about the latest trends and developments in this field.
