Marco Odermatt took off his race helmet after winning the first men’s World Cup race of the season on Sunday. He then pointed to the Red Bull logo as he celebrated his victory.
The victory of the Swiss skier came just one day after the passing of Dietrich Mateschitz, 78 years old, who had been a co-founder and owner of the Austrian energy drink brand.
Marco Odermatt remarked, “I hope that I have given him something to take along with him.”
Another skier who was sponsored by Red Bull and finished in the top three, Henrik Kristoffersen, paid tribute to the late billionaire while standing on the podium.
“He has done so much for our sport, for skiers, and for other athletes and sports. “A phenomenal example of what it is to be a human being, and I will be eternally thankful to him for all that he has done for me and for other athletes,” the Norwegian described him.
Marco Odermatt, who won the giant slalom event at the Olympics and was considered the favorite to win the overall World Cup title, lived up to his billing as the favorite by defeating the competition by a margin of more than seven-tenths of a second to earn his 12th victory of his career.
On the challenging glacier in the Austrian Alps, the Swiss skier finished the race despite having a nearly perfect first run and having to overcome a few errors on his second run.
76 seconds ahead of the Slovenian competitor Zan Kranjec.
The race was won by Kristoffersen.
97 points behind the leader in third place, placing him ahead of his Norwegian colleagues Lucas Braathen and Rasmus Windingstad, who fell from second after the opening run to fourth place.
The Second fastest behind Marco Odermatt is Tommy Ford USA
During the second run, the American skier Tommy Ford had the quickest time, which allowed him to move up from 26th place to sixth place. After the first run, River Radamus was the top contender for the United States ski team, but after the second run, she fell to 26th place. January of 2021 was the month that Ford sustained a serious injury.
Before today, Ford has only competed in the Olympics and two World Cups combined before to suffering the injuries. Ford has demonstrated, without a doubt, that he is able to rebound after experiencing setbacks. Today marked the return of Tommy Ford to the very highest level of competition in the sport of ski racing.
Even though Marco Odermatt was in the lead of the first run by more than four tenths of a second, he insisted that he was not going to take anything for granted.
Because this was such a significant battle, I was unsure whether or not the lead was sufficient. The snow continued to get heavier and heavier. Everyone made some mistakes,” said Marco Odermatt, who won the race for the first of his five GS victories on the way to his first overall title. Last year, Marco Odermatt also won the race, which was the first of his five GS victories.
“You need to have your mind in the right place. You have no choice but to rise to the occasion,” he went on to say.
In the previous season, Marco Odermatt triumphed over the Norwegian speed specialist Aleksander Aamodt Kilde to take home the sport’s most prestigious award with a vast advantage of 467 points.
Kilde, who won the downhill and super-G championships the previous season, skied out during the second run.
While it is generally expected that he will successfully defend his title, Marco Odermatt made an effort to downplay his superiority.
I observe many contenders for the overall title. But any additional points I can get now might be useful later,” he said.
After placing third in the customary season opener for the first time, Kristoffersen, who was the only competitor besides Marco Odermatt to win a World Cup giant slalom last year, was beaming.
In an amazing move, the Norwegian skier who won the silver medal in the men’s giant slalom at the 2018 Winter Olympics switched his equipment during the off-season from his longtime manufacturer Rossignol to the new Van Deer-Red Bull brand, which was established by his former rival and eight-time overall champion Marcel Hirscher, who retired three years ago.
Even though many thought it was a risky decision, Kristoffersen claimed he never had any reservations.
“The benefit of the new firm is that, if we choose to, we can adapt things extremely rapidly. The fundamental objective of Van Deer-Red Bull, a racing organization, is not to sell skis but to win competitions, according to Kristoffersen. However, you will undoubtedly sell skis if you succeed in races.
After the women’s race was postponed owing to rain and wet snow the day before, the race was observed by 14,000 spectators amid sunny skies and blue sky.
The FIS canceled the two Zermatt-Cervinia downhills scheduled for next week owing to a shortage of snow on Saturday. As a result, the men’s World Cup will resume on November 13 with a parallel race in Lech-Zürs.
After the women’s race was postponed owing to rain and wet snow the day before, the race was observed by 14,000 spectators amid sunny skies and blue sky.
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