Alpine skiing
Odermatt wins in Val D’Isère for the fourth time – Aerni just off the podium
Marco Odermatt wins the giant slalom in Val D’Isère and celebrates his 24th World Cup victory. Behind Odermatt, Patrick Feuerstein and Stefan Brennsteiner climbed onto the podium, Luca Aerni came fourth.
In the end, Odermatt was left with a lead of eight hundredths in a giant slalom that was marked by a major upheaval in the rankings in the second round. By this minimal time difference, the central Swiss man held off the unexpected runner-up Patrick Feurstein. The Austrian, who was only 24th in the first run, made it into the top three in the World Cup for the first time. Feurstein’s margin over his compatriot Stefan Brennsteiner, who secured third place, was even smaller, namely four hundredths.
Odermatt’s second ride became a pure battle in conditions that worsened from rider to rider. A look at the individual running times shows how difficult the task was. Odermatt lost no less than 3.19 seconds to Luca Aerni’s best time in the second round.
After this special race, Odermatt had several weights lifted from his heart. His victory was a relief. The failures at last season’s finale in Saalbach, in Sölden and last Sunday in Beaver Creek did not leave Nidwalden unscathed. With World Cup victory number 39, which puts Odermatt one success behind the Swiss record holder Pirmin Zurbriggen, the world champion should have put to rest doubts that had arisen here and there once and for all.
Luca Aerni wrote a special chapter in this special giant slalom. The Bernese, who was only competing in this discipline for the eleventh time, barely managed to qualify for the second round with number 62 as the last to start in 30th place – and took advantage of the perfect conditions in the first phase to make another big jump in front. Thanks to the best time, he gained no fewer than 26 positions.
Fourth place means a significant improvement in World Cup giant slaloms for Aerni, who missed out on a podium place by eleven hundredths. The best of his three countable results so far in this division was 21st place, which he achieved seven years ago in Alta Badia.
The third best Swiss was Gino Caviezel, who improved by three places to 11th place in the afternoon. Among the drivers who took the opposite route in the rankings were Loïc Meillard and, above all, Thomas Tumler. Meillard fell six places to 9th place, Tumler from 6th to 25th. (sda)
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Swiss
