Odermatt Wins Super-G At Lake Louise
Amidst snowy skies, Marco Odermatt (SUI) threw down the gauntlet to take the super-G win at Lake Louise. The Swiss superstar posted a scorching time of 1:32.53 to lead a star-studded podium. Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (NOR) came up just short of the weekend double with a second-place finish, 0.37 off the pace. Beijing 2022 super-G gold medallist Matthias Mayer (AUT) rounded out the podium in third.
Odermatt benefitted from starting before the snowfall that affected other racers and executed at an exceptional level to win his fifth super-G World Cup race. It is his eighth podium in his last eight World Cup races. It was smooth sailing for the defending overall champion.
“I had a great feeling while racing. When you cross the finish line more than a second in front it is always a good sign. It was a great feeling,” said Odermatt.
Odermatt’s victory gives him crucial points as he sets out to defend his overall title with Kilde hot on his heels.
“Both of us want to win. We are good friends and respect each other. It is great to have a rival like (Kilde). We will compete against each other for a long time,” said Odermatt.
The two racers have already set themselves up for quite a rivalry this season.
Even though Kilde says there is no bad blood. “We are good friends and competitors for sure. I think we fire each other up quite a bit,” said Kilde.
“We are having such a good time together and competing. He is a really good competitor and could be a really good friend on site too. So, let’s have a party. He is going to be hard to beat this year. But I beat him yesterday, so if I beat him every-other chance then I am fine with that too,” said Kilde.
The Norwegian faced challenging conditions with snow falling a bit heavier and gusts of wind as he skied his way to second.
“I felt pretty good actually. I was really charging and trying. There was a little wind up there, so I took down the speed a little too much with the wind that was going in some places. I tried hard but it was not enough today,” said Kilde.
The defending super-G world champion Kilde now has 17 career podiums in the discipline. It was a solid weekend for Kilde after winning the downhill at Lake Louise on Saturday. He had never previously reached a podium at Lake Louise before this weekend. Coming across with the third-fastest time was Mayer. The Austrian skied well but could not find quite enough speed to best the dynamic duo on top.
“I tried my best and tried to push hard. After all I am happy in third place. They both did a really good run today. We will see in the next few races, I hope I can join them on the podium again,” said Mayer.
Mayer’s countryman Vincent Kreichmayr (AUT) took an aggressive approach but suffered a few slips on his way down as he just missed the podium in fourth. Matthieu Bailet (FRA) and Andreas Sander (GER) provided tough challenges but could not ski clean enough to crash the podium as the two finished tied for fifth position in the table. Daniel Hemetsberger (AUT) capped a wonderful weekend with a 7th place finish coming from the 48th start position. Hemetsberger took a stunning 2nd place in the downhill on Saturday.
Henrik Von Appen (CHI) came across in 18th benefitting from some late wind changes, the highest ever World Cup finish for a Chilean man. It was the first ever World Cup points for Chile.
The men’s World Cup tour continues to Beaver Creek, Colorado with one super-G and two downhill races next weekend.
