Big anger among the Norwegians: “Bullshit” – Kristoffersen and McGrath rage after Odermatt victory

Marco Odermatt returns to victory in his flagship discipline in the crazy giant slalom in Val d’Isère. The Norwegians come away empty-handed – and are pissed off because of the weather conditions.

If someone finishes 30th in the first run in fourth place and another finishes in second place as 24th in the first run, it usually has to do with special weather conditions. This was also the case in the giant slalom on Saturday in Val d’Isère.

When Luca Aerni opened the second run, visibility was still clear. Half an hour later it is snowing heavily and the drivers can hardly see anything. So Aerni makes up place after place and even has a sniff of the podium at the end.

Patrick Feurstein is doing even better. The Austrian, 24th after the first run, is still at the top when only Marco Odermatt remains at the top. As the leader of the first run, he has a lead of 2.49 seconds. In the end, Odermatt’s lead of 8 hundredths of a second was just enough to win.

The relief for Nidwalden is huge after three failures in a row in his key discipline. Meanwhile, other top drivers are pissed off. Henrik Kristoffersen, for example, who was able to keep up with Odermatt in the first run and only lost 15 hundredths, had a lot of trouble with the weather conditions and missed the podium (5th). At the finish line he yells “Bullshit!” into the camera.

McGrath: “Absolutely ridiculous”

Kristoffersen is not the only Norwegian who lets out his frustration. “Ridiculous,” says Atle Lie McGrath after he crosses the finish line. «It’s absolutely ridiculous. I’m sitting at the foot of the hill in wonderful sunshine, and then I go up to the start and suddenly I can’t see a meter in front of me anymore,” explains McGrath on the streaming service “Viaplay”.

And further: “It was so dark that I could hardly see my skis. It’s an outdoor sport and I don’t want to complain, but I’m just incredibly frustrated. It was a bad day at work.”

The Norwegians were able to celebrate a triple victory in the Sölden giant slalom, but now, like in Beaver Creek, they miss the podium. The former top driver Kjetil André Aamodt can understand the frustration of his compatriots, but says on “Viaplay”: “Even if some people are critical, we see who is at the top – Marco Odermatt. Today it was possible for everyone to win, even if the conditions were difficult.”

More from the department