Marco Odermatt returns to success in Val d’Isère

Had Marco Odermatt forgotten the taste of victory? After two exits from the track during the first two giant slaloms of the season, in Sölden (Austria) then in Beaver Creek (United States), the Swiss, winner of nine of the ten races in this specialty in 2023-2024, returned to success by winning the event in Val d’Isère (Savoie), Saturday December 14.

He narrowly beat the Austrians Patrick Feurstein and Stefan Brennsteiner and thus won his 39^e World Cup success – 24^e in giant slalom. He also won his fourth victory on the Face de Bellevarde.

Before this bad start to winter, he had also given up during the last giant of last season, contested in Saalbach, Austria. Doubt then set in for the reigning Olympic champion and world champion in the specialty.

Especially since the 27-year-old skier remained on a remarkable giant run: between December 2019 and March 2024, « Odi » had racked up 33 podiums in 40 races, without giving up.

Fall of Clément Noël

But, the triple holder of the big crystal globe, rewarding the winner of the general classification in all specialties, set the record straight this Saturday, dominating the competition in difficult conditions.

Author of the best time of the first round in the morning, ahead of the current leader of the World Cup, the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen (+ 0”15), Marco Odermatt resisted the snowfall and reduced visibility.

With a lead of more than two seconds, the Swiss beat the Austrian Patrick Feurstein, 24^e time of the first round, by 8 hundredths. His compatriot, Stefan Brennsteiner, completes the podium, 12 hundredths behind.

In front of his audience and for his return to competition after eleven months of absence, the French Alexis Pinturault could not do better than a 28^e place, 60 hundredths from the best tricolor, Thibaut Favrot, 22^e more than a second from the winner of the day.

Clément Noël, winner of the first two slaloms of the winter in Levi (Finland) and Gurgl (Austria), was the victim of a big fall during the first round. The skier, uncertain for the slalom scheduled for Sunday, must take exams.