Odermatt takes 1st super-G season title

ASPEN, Colorado — Marco Odermatt of Switzerland wrapped up another World Cup super-G title by winning the race in Aspen with a smooth run through a challenging course.

Odermatt has been dominant all season in the super-G, taking five of the seven World Cup races. He also finished on the podium in the two other races.

The 25-year-old Odermatt cruised through the hill in a time of 1 minute, 6.80 seconds to hold off Andreas Sander of Germany by 0.05 seconds.

Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway finished third a day after earning his second straight World Cup downhill title.

After the race, Kilde went over to the leader’s box to congratulate Odermatt on his accomplishment. Odermatt also moved a step closer to securing his second straight overall World Cup title.

The sixth skier to take the course, Odermatt made it look easy as he breezed through the tricky course set. He became the first ski racer to capture at least five World Cup super-G events in the same season.

“It was a perfect super-G season from the first race until now,” Odermatt said in a post race interview according to AP.

Sander wound up on a World Cup podium for the first time in his career. He took second in a downhill race at the 2021 world championships.

The demanding course led to 16 racers recording a “DNF” – did not finish. But there were also quite a few racers who made charges up the leaderboard from late starting positions.

Nico Gauer of Liechtenstein started 53rd and moved all the way into sixth place. He finished just 0.65 seconds behind Odermatt’s winning time.

Americans Jared Goldberg and Erik Arvidsson also went late and found speed along the course, too, as they finished tied for 14th place. Goldberg was the 45th racer of the day and Arvidsson started at No. 52.

It was a difficult weekend in Aspen for Adrian Smiseth Sejersted of Norway. He was in line for his first World Cup win in the downhill before it was canceled Friday due to deteriorating weather after 24 racers competed.

The race needed to get through 30 competitors to become official.