Marco Odermatt secures his third large globe

Marco Odermatt has the chance to win all four globes in the 2023/24 World Cup. On Saturday, the skier from Nidwalden secured the big prize for most World Cup points won, making it his third in a row. He put it beyond any doubt by winning the giant slalom in Palisades Tahoe (USA)—his tenth straight victory in the World Cup giant slalom. 

“It was very tight today. I can’t believe it was enough to win. I slowed down quite a bit at the difficult transition and then pushed hard at the bottom. Luckily, the hundredths of a second were on my side,” said Marco Odermatt about his second run. This push through the final gates was absolutely necessary. Henrik Kristoffersen took a lot of risks, took time off Odermatt in the middle section, but then lost it again in the long section near the finish line. The fact that Odermatt guaranteed his third overall World Cup trophy was actually just a nice side note. “It is nice that it is now mathematically guaranteed,” said Odermatt. The Swiss Sportsman of the Year has now won at three World Cup venues in the USA. He has won the super-G in both Aspen and Beaver Creek, and now has his first giant slalom victory on US soil in Palisades Tahoe. 

The 26-year-old will move on to Aspen, where he will compete in the giant slalom on Friday (March 1) and Saturday (March 2). If Odermatt finishes at least 15th in his specialist discipline on Friday, he will also win the giant slalom globe for the third time. He is also top of the downhill and super-G rankings heading into the final races. 

A podium place in the Europa Cup 
Nicole Good is back on the podium in the Europa Cup. The slalom in Zell am See (AUT) in mid-January did not go to plan for the skier from eastern Switzerland, but she showed clear signs of improvement last week in Malbun (LIE). Sixth place on Wednesday was followed up by second place on Sunday, where only Sweden’s Hanna Aronsson Elfman was faster. Nicole Good leads the Europa Cup slalom rankings by 114 points with three races to go. The last competitions in this discipline will be held in Norway in mid-March. 

Marco Fischbacher narrowly missed out on the podium on Monday. The man from Toggenburg was leading after the first run of the Europa Cup giant slalom at Pass Thurn (AUT) but made a mistake shortly before the finish and slipped back to fourth place. “In the second run, I made a stupid mistake just before the finish because I was too impatient. It’s a shame because I should have taken that victory home,” said Fischbacher in criticism of himself.  

Three podium finishes in the ski cross 

When the alpine skiers are doing so well, the ski crossers naturally don’t want to be left behind. Last weekend on the Reiteralm (AUT), there were two races for the men and only one for the women in poor conditions. On Saturday, Jonas Lenherr showcased his ability to play catch up. After a mediocre start, the man from eastern Switzerland successfully overtook during the heats. And it was the same in the final. He even had a chance to win on the last jump before the finish, but Sweden’s Erik Mobaerg secured the victory just ahead of Lenherr. 

On Sunday, there were two Stöckli skiers smiling on the podium as Swiss skiers Talina Gantenbein and Margaux Dumont. both finished third. This is Gantenbein's sixth podium finish in the World Cup, with the woman from the Grisons finishing third on each of those occasions. On the other hand, this is a first podium finish for Margaux Dumont, having never finished higher than tenth in the World Cup previously. In the final, the two Swiss women unintentionally got in each other’s way when Gantenbein tried to pass Dumont. Gantenbein crashed and Dumont missed a gate, meaning that neither of them were able to compete in the battle for victory. With three races to go, Canada’s Marielle Thompson is leading the World Cup rankings, but has a tough rival in Marielle Berger Sabbatel (FRA) breathing down her neck.