“If it’s enough, that’s great. If not, I don’t think I have to explain anything to anyone,” said the 25-year-old Swiss. “I really achieved everything I wanted.” In the season that ended on Sunday, Odermatt won not only the overall World Cup but also the small crystal globes in the RTL and in the Super-G. He also became world champion in RTL and downhill in Courchevel/Meribel. In the 2021/22 season, he also won the big crystal ball as well as the discipline rating and Olympic gold on RTL.
Maier set the 2,000 point record in 2000. Now the Salzburger Odermatt wishes “all the best for the season finale”, as Maier wrote on his website. “It seems that to earn 2,000 World Cup points in one winter you have to win just about everything! Which doesn’t really matter later in life – but opportunities to have such experiences should simply be seized,” says Maier, who at the time celebrated ten victories in a total of 30 races in a season without a major event.
In a season with the World Ski Championships in 26 races, Odermatt already achieved twelve victories. If he goes one better in his favorite discipline on Saturday, he would have broken the record for wins in one season in addition to the best points. The Swede Ingemar Stenmark (1978/79), Maier (2000/01) and Marcel Hirscher (2017/18) have achieved 13 successes so far.
“Not yet reached its zenith”
“From my point of view, Marco has not yet reached his zenith, especially on the descent,” noted Maier. Next season, which without a major event will probably take place with even more races, Odermatt could then further expand their own record of points. “Of course, one very special challenge still remains, namely that the number of points and the current year match exactly,” said Maier, pointing out that at least the “number magic” of his record will stay with him for a long time to come.
At Odermatt, the competition has long since run out of superlatives. “He just delivers,” said Stefan Brennsteiner. It looks as easy as it used to be for Marcel Hirscher, who won the overall World Cup eight times: “If he needs it, he turns it up a bit. It seems like he has a stopwatch in his head. He doesn’t always drive to the full stop, knows exactly what he needs and drives it down effortlessly.”
Odermatt gets used to winning
Not only the competition has gotten used to the serial victories of the Swiss, Odermatt himself also feels a shift in the emotional scale. “Everything that you can experience more often doesn’t lose its value, but maybe the special thing,” said the Swiss. “If you get to stand on the podium at every race and hear your own anthem very often, then maybe it’s not as emotional as it was the first time.”
Marco Schwarz ennobled Odermatt as follows: “It’s unbelievable what he’s performing at the moment. He does it with such ease, is a completely relaxed, cool guy.” The Carinthian is the only ÖSV representative to have scored 100 points in the giant slalom this season. He won in Palisades Tahoe three weeks ago, ensuring the first Austrian victory in the discipline since Hirscher in January 2019. Brennsteiner just missed the podium in fourth place in Kranjska Gora.
Things have not gone well for Manuel Feller in the recent past. A 19th place in Kranjska Gora, before that, including four retirements at the World Championships, is not a glorious day after the Tyrolean laughed off the podium in Val d’Isere in December. “The fact that nothing came out of the half-time lead in Kitzbühel and at the World Championships has really affected him mentally, I think,” explained Men’s Racing Director Marko Pfeifer. “At some point he had a negative spiral inside. Now we’re going to see that he can finish two more races and we’ll get him ‘hot’ again for next year.”
Last bullet will be awarded on Sunday
On Sunday (10.30 a.m./1.30 p.m., live on ORF1) the only remaining decision about a World Cup ball will be clarified. In the men’s slalom, the Norwegian Lucas Braathen defends a 32-point lead against his compatriot and world champion Henrik Kristoffersen. It would be the fourth slalom ball for the father-to-be. The two Swiss Daniel Yule and Ramon Zenhäusler also have theoretical chances.
Feller is the best Austrian in fifth place in the discipline ranking and is “really” looking forward to the finish. “I’ll pull out the last reserves and drive off with joy,” he said. After that he will spend two more days with his girlfriend in nearby Barcelona. “It doesn’t happen that often either. We will enjoy that.”
With women all decisions are made
All decisions have been made for women. Mikaela Shiffrin already has both the big crystal ball and the slalom and giant slalom rating in his pocket. The women will compete in the slalom on Saturday (10.30 a.m./1.30 p.m.), on Sunday (9.00 a.m./12.00 p.m., both live on ORF1) the giant slalom is on the program.
Katharina Liensberger promised full concentration twice more. After that, a realignment will follow, announced the Vorarlbergerin. “To be honest, it’s often grueling at the races when things just don’t go the way you want them to. I think it’s very important to really hit a reset button now and do it all over again.”