GARMISCH-PARTENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — Swiss ski star Marco Odermatt climbed the men's World Cup Super-G race pecking order with a commanding victory Sunday, a day after missing out on the podium for the first time in 13 races. I have recovered.
The race was held under clear skies on the same course as 4th place. Super G on a cloudy SaturdayOdermatt's aggressive driving led him to a 0.30 second lead over second place Rafael Haaser (Austria).
“The conditions definitely helped me. I found out there was some good snow next to the line today as well, so I knew I could attack,” Odermatt said. “Even if you fall off the line, you can still ski cleanly without getting hurt. That was important to my mindset.”
It was Odermatt's ninth super-G victory in his past 16 races. This result marked his 33rd victory in all disciplines, matching American great Bode Miller's total.
“It was a very close-to-the-limit run. We knew at the time of inspection that it was going to be a completely different race,” Odermatt said of the frozen track surface, which was harder than Saturday's race.
Odermatt said he was “not too disappointed” after Saturday's result.
“That kind of thing can happen when you're a few hundredths off the podium. That wasn't a problem for me, but of course it's always nice to win,” said the two-time defending overall champion.
Franjo von Allmen added to Switzerland's success by scoring his first podium with a 0.61 difference in third place, a day after finishing ninth in von Allmen's first full World Cup season.
Odermatt praised his teammate for finishing in the top three in just his 12th start on skiing's top-level circuit.
“Incredibly, this is Franjo's first World Cup season. What he has shown from the front of this podium this season has been amazing. Today he skated brilliantly. For him this is This is the first of many podiums,” said Odermatt.
“Certainly, it's pretty cool to see the next generation coming up. I'm looking forward to finishing my career and watching them race from the comfort of my couch. So I hope a lot of them come after me. I hope you will.”
The two competitors who defeated the favorites in Saturday's race finished outside the top 10, with winner Nils Alegre finishing 14th, 1.20 seconds behind Odermatt, and second place Guglielmo Bosca finishing 18th, 1.31 behind. However, the Italian set the fastest start time in Sunday's race.
Alegre's French teammate Cyprien Sarrazin won the super-G in Wengen two weeks ago but was unable to finish. He went wide on the left turn and adjusted his line, but his right ski floated and he missed the next gate.
Sarrazin, who is ranked second in the overall standings, has widened the gap to leader Odermatt to 722 points after 23 of 39 races this season.
Sarrazin will not be able to reduce his deficit next weekend after a scheduled speed event in his native Chamonix, France, was canceled due to poor snow conditions.
River Radamus finished 8th after starting 34th, and Ryan Cochran-Siegle repeated his 10th-place finish from the previous day, two strong results for the U.S. Ski Team.
German skier Josef Förstl, who announced his retirement earlier this week, came down the course in Kandahar on his farewell run before the start of the race.
Förstl, a two-time World Cup winner, achieved his greatest success when he won the championship. Super G at Kitzbühel in 201940 years after his father, Sepp Förstl, won two downhill races at the Austrian resort.
Verstl's retirement comes a week after his German teammate Thomas Dressen, also a Kitzbühel winner, ended his career.
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