Odermatt reported back with a Super-G victory in Cortina

The Swiss ski star won the first of two Super-Gs in Cortina d’Ampezzo on Saturday in 1:25.57 minutes ahead of Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde (+0.35 seconds) and Italy’s Mattia Casse (+0 ,49). The ÖSV team succeeded with five runners among the top 13 and Stefan Babinsky, who recommended himself as fourth (+0.63) ahead of fifth-placed Vincent Kriechmayr (+0.76) for a World Cup start.

Combi world champion Marco Schwarz also showed speed qualities again as ninth (+0.95). Lukas Feurstein even raced to sixth place with the high number 43 (+0.82). Like Feurstein, Andreas Ploier achieved his best World Cup result by far with 13th place (+1.10). Daniel Danklmaier, like Daniel Hemetsberger, was eliminated from his comeback after a cruciate ligament rupture after a good third time (+0.56). Raphael Haaser ended up in 17th place.

The Super G season continues after the fifth race in the winner exchange Odermatt – Kilde. Odermatt answered all open questions as to whether his injured knee could withstand the stress test. As if the meniscus and muscles had never been crushed, the 25-year-old rode to his 18th World Cup victory, the seventh of the season. In disbelief, Odermatt grabbed his head when swinging down – and then spoke in the ORF interview of his “almost special victory”.

“It felt like you had been gone for a long time because you simply lost confidence in your body,” said Odermatt, who had skipped the second Kitzbühel descent and the Schladming giant slalom. With a cooling cool pack on his injured left knee, he sat in the leader’s chair.

Babinsky saved his best career result for the last speed weekend before the World Championships. But he didn’t want to demand a start in Meribel afterwards. “These are things that I don’t decide,” he said with a grin on his face in the finish area. “It’s important for me to look from race to race and get to the heart of my performance.” The 26-year-old did quite well. He had never been better than seventh (Super Kitzbühel/2021). “I like it when it’s a bit wavy, it doesn’t feel like I have that much time to think.”

At the Olympia delle Tofane, Kriechmayr gave a faultless, but too well-behaved, performance. “It was a solid ride, but nothing more,” said the Super-G world champion. The “sky-wide” failure of Daniel Hemetsberger before – his teammate took off at the key point “Scarpadon” after a little more than a minute’s drive, couldn’t find his way around the corner and dropped out – had left an impression. “Of course that affects you,” said Kriechmayr. “I didn’t want to give 100 percent in some passages because a failure is even more bitter.”

In Cortina, the canceled Super-G from Val Gardena and Lake Louise will be added. The race on Sunday (10.15 a.m./live ORF 1) is also the last speed race before the World Championships in Meribel/Courchevel (from February 6).