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Men’s Super-G in Beaver Creek from 18:30 LIVE

Lukas Feurstein can cheer.

(Bild: AP)

Lukas Feurstein has surprised everyone with third place in the first super-G of the new World Cup season. The 23-year-old from Vorarlberg was only beaten in Beaver Creek by the two speed stars Marco Odermatt from Switzerland and his French rival Cyprien Sarrazin (+0.18 sec.) by 47/100. It was a premiere podium for Feurstein and the Austrian skiers in the fifth race of this World Championship winter.

With number 24, Feurstein completed a podium among giant slalom experts. At the same time, he edged out Vincent Kriechmayr (+0.81), who later dropped back to sixth place. Daniel Danklmaier and young Stefan Eichberger were also in the top 15 after 50 racers. Daniel Hemetsberger lost out on a top position with a mistake at the entrance to the final section. Raphael Haaser and Stefan Babinsky were eliminated.

Winner Marco Odermatt

(Bild: Getty Images/APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/Christian Petersen)

Technicians have the advantage
"It's a technically demanding course, I come from the giant slalom. I feel comfortable when it gets tough and you have to attack," said Feurstein on ORF. He added the super-G to his repertoire in 2022/23, sixth place in Cortina d'Ampezzo (January 2023) in only his third race remained an outlier - also due to injuries. "We've found a good way for me to ski without pain. That's never been the case in the last four or five years. I feel fit, it feels really good." He still had to tremble in the finish area, as his age-mates Fredrik Moeller (NOR) and Giovanni Franzoni (ITA) raced ahead to share fourth place (+0.60).

Odermatt celebrated his first win of the season, his third in a super-G in Beaver Creek and 38th overall. "I love the super-G here," said the 27-year-old. "It's the most technical super-G, as a giant slalom racer you definitely have the best chance of a good result here. You have to step on the gas and still ski smart."

Kriechmayr is struggling
His Swiss coach Reto Nydegger set a difficult run, which had the radios along the course buzzing practically from the start of the race. Five of the first seven racers were eliminated, including Haaser with a clear intermediate best time in the upper section. Many did not make enough direction in front of a blind gate in the Screech Owl area.

Kriechmayr showed a controlled run that lacked the brute force of Odermatt and Sarrazin. "I took out too much speed, sweated myself way too much," he alluded to a change in tactics after the many retirements. "I should have stuck to what I had set out to do."

The result:

Here are the interim results: