Problems for ski high flyers in Adelboden: Odermatt’s goggles were damaged before the second run

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The Austrian ski hippie Manuel Feller is known for his special philosophies. On Friday evening, the Tyrolean explained in an interview with the ORF reporter why Marco Odermatt’s huge streak could break during the home game in Chuenisbärgli. “Odi would rather win the race in Adelboden in front of his own fans than win a race abroad. And that can lead to him wanting too much and making a big mistake.”

In fact, the man from Nidwalden seems particularly charged for his home race, which will be started from the reserve start due to the weather conditions. But his opponents waited in vain for a mistake on the first lap – the world champion and Olympic champion had a dream run on the shortened course and was over a second ahead of Austrian Stefan Brennsteiner at the halfway point.

Glasses alarm for the decisive run

Despite this comfortable lead, unrest suddenly arises in the Swiss camp before the decisive round. Reason: Odermatt has two ski goggles at the start, both of which were inexplicably damaged. And because the Chuenisbärgli is partly shrouded in fog, glasses are particularly important in this race.

Ultimately, it is the physiotherapist Ulrike Ettinger who ensures that Odermatt maintains perspective. The Austrian employed by Swiss-Ski quickly drove to the Swiss team hotel “Steinmattli” and grabbed replacement glasses from Odermatt’s room. The two-time overall World Cup winner from Lake Lucerne delivers another masterpiece.

While Stefan Brennsteiner paid tribute to the difficult conditions and dropped from second to 19th place, Odermatt achieved his third Chuenisbärgli victory in a row and his 29th World Cup victory without falling behind once. In the final count he is 1.26 seconds ahead of Norwegian speed champion Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, who reached the giant slalom podium for the first time in his World Cup career.

“Marco could have driven faster”

The analysis of Swiss giant slalom head coach Helmut Krug will probably be particularly painful for the competition: “Marco is far from his limit, he could have gone a second faster in the second run. But there is no reason for him to risk falling, even if it is enough to win.”

Former Hermann Maier coach Christian Höflehner, who has been working as race director at Kilde’s supplier Atomic for a few years, supports Odermatt’s coach’s statement: “If Marco had gone all out, he might even have won this race by three seconds. . This guy is definitely not normal! But he is a blessing to our sport because not only is he an incredible skier, but he also looks like a model and is incredibly nice off the slopes.”

The unusually strong Odermatt is now undefeated in seven giant slaloms. Only one person can boast an even more impressive streak: Swedish millennial athlete Ingemar Stenmark won fourteen giant slaloms in a row between 1978 and 1980.

Source : Blick