Swiss skier Marco Odermatt continues to dominate the World Cup skiing scene, setting records on home soil at Wengen, Switzerland. Odermatt secured his fourth career downhill victory at Wengen, surpassing the previous record holders Franz Klammer and Beat Feuz. This achievement marks his fourth consecutive win on the renowned Lauberhorn course.
In a shortened race due to strong winds, Odermatt finished 0.79 seconds ahead of Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr and 0.90 seconds ahead of Italy’s Giovanni Franzoni, who secured his first career victory in Friday’s super-G event. Canadian skier Cam Alexander also put up a strong performance, finishing in seventh place.
The race course alteration highlighted the technical “Kernen S” section, which Odermatt navigated expertly, gaining crucial speed advantage. Fellow Swiss skiers Franjo von Allmen and Alexis Money claimed the fourth and fifth positions, respectively. Von Allmen, the reigning downhill world champion, took a risky approach, colliding with a TV camera but fortunately escaping injury.
The upcoming World Cup events in Kitzbuehel, Austria, will precede the focus on the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy, where the men’s competitions will take place in Bormio. Odermatt’s stellar performance positions him for potential success at the Olympics after his gold medal win in giant slalom at the 2022 Beijing Games. With this victory, Odermatt is on the verge of his 52nd World Cup win, closing in on Hermann Maier’s third-place record and maintaining a substantial lead in the overall World Cup standings.
Celebrating his latest triumph in front of enthusiastic Swiss fans, Odermatt’s remarkable run solidifies his status as a top contender in the skiing world.