Their duel was lively last winter: king Marco Odermatt and new contender Cyprien Sarrazin begin the World Cup speed season at Beaver Creek. The Colorado resort hosts a downhill, super-G and giant from Friday to Sunday.
Cyprien Sarrazin: “That evening, Marco was more reasonable than me”
After having exploded in the eyes of the alpine skiing world last season, notably winning the two Kitzbühel descents, Cyprien Sarrazin is preparing to begin the winter of confirmation in Sölden.
23.10.2024
Triple winner of the general classification, Olympic giant champion and double world champion in 2023 (giant and downhill), Nidwalden prodigy Marco Odermatt definitively extended his reign to downhill last winter.
The small globe of the specialty had however been contested until the last moments by the French Cyprien Sarrazin, sensation of the last season, winner of the prestigious descents of Bormio and Kitzbühel (twice in two days), in addition to a super -G in Wengen.
Former specialist of the giant subscribed to physical problems, Sarrazin, who celebrated his 30th birthday in the off-season, experienced an outbreak as unexpected as it was spectacular. A fall during training in Kvitfjell in mid-February and unpredictable weather in Saalbach at the end of March had deprived the Frenchman of a great end to the season.
Finish the job
The beginnings of Cyprien Sarrazin’s exploits took place a year ago at Beaver Creek, when he finished first and second in two official training sessions, before the races were canceled. He thus has the opportunity to finish the job on the track “Birds of Prey”.
“The conditions are great, the feeling is back and I feel really good. It’s the first time since Kitzbühel (in January) that I found hard snow like that under my feet to go downhill and I enjoyed it,” Cyprien Sarrazin reacted on Tuesday. “I feel good, I feel calm, I don’t put pressure on myself and everything falls into place, it’s cool.”
On Tuesday, he finished official training a hundredth of a second behind Odermatt, both trailing only Slovenia’s Miha Hrobat who missed a gate.
The women’s circuit, however, is on pause while the two giants scheduled at Mont Tremblant on Saturday and Sunday were canceled due to lack of snow. The ladies are scheduled to resume the following weekend at Beaver Creek for a downhill and super-G.
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