Flawed, but:

LIVE: Vinatzer leads, Brennsteiner best ÖSV man

Marco Odermatt

(Bild: Associated Press)

Even a flawed Marco Odermatt, who didn't really get going, is currently unbeatable for the competition! Starting from 3rd place at the halfway point, the Swiss also won the 9th giant slalom of the season, finishing 0.34 seconds ahead of compatriot Loic Meillard and 0.58 ahead of Norway's Timon Haugan. Alexander Steen Olsen, who was leading at half-time, dropped back to 17th place. The Austrians did not play a role at the front, Stefan Brennsteiner was the best eleventh (+1.91). 

It was Odermatt's 13th win of the season, equaling the records set by himself in the previous season, Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark (1978/79) and Salzburg's Hermann Maier (2000/01) and Marcel Hirscher (2017/18). It was Odermatt's 12th success en suite in giant slalom over the course of the season. He now has a total of 37 victories in his career, putting him in 7th place in the rankings.

"I let the skis run and risked everything at the bottom!"
Odermatt himself was a little speechless. He had already struggled with the conditions during his victory on Friday and was only third at the halfway point on Saturday. As a hunter, he put all his eggs in one basket in the final. "I already saw myself out, fought, let the skis run and risked everything at the bottom."

He also has his Austrian Kondi coach to thank for the fact that he can still improve on the final gates. "He gets me fit in the summer so that even with tired legs and a tired head, I can still manage somehow. You always have the strength for one minute, even if it's extremely hard."

Here is the final score (click on images to enlarge):

(Bild: www.fis-ski.com)

(Bild: www.fis-ski.com)

"A medium disaster at the moment, I'm a bit at a loss!"
Brennsteiner improved from 17th to 11th, which was balm on the wounds after the retirement in race 1. "I can take the run with me. I felt good again. It had something to do with racing again," said the man from Salzburg. Dominik Raschner skied from 24th to 14th, the next good result for the actual slalom specialist after 20th place on Friday. "I'm a bit surprised myself that it went so well." Lukas Feurstein finished in 21st place, while cousin Patrick Feurstein came 23rd.

"It's brutally tough at the moment, a medium disaster at the moment, I'm a bit at a loss," said the latter. Joshua Sturm (45th) missed out on the second run, Raphael Haaser - the best Austrian in ninth place on Friday - was eliminated in the first run, as were Noel Zwischenbrugger and Kilian Pramstaller. Manuel Feller took a break as planned and is concentrating on the slalom on Sunday, for which difficult conditions are forecast - a winter storm with lots of fresh snow is on the cards.

On Friday, several nations had criticized the uneven slope preparation (upper part icy, lower part soft) and a very high failure rate; on Saturday, the racers managed to adjust to the equally challenging conditions much better in the first run. Britain's Charly Raposo, who tore a cruciate ligament on Friday, was no longer with the team.