Alpine Skiingthe new phenomenon
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The Swiss phenomenon, taking the second giant of Santa Caterina and the second in CdM, has hooked Pinturault at the top of the overall. He overcame Covid (losing the parallel of Lech) and brought the rossocrociati back to win between wide doors almost ten years after the last time signed ... Carlo Janka.
Monday 7 December 2020 5 minutes reading time
Oh well, it was understood that this is a phenomenon even before the five-gold medal (only the slalom was "impossible" to win) at the 2018 junior world championships in Davos. The first podiums in the World Cup in the final of the 2018/19 season had confirmed it, then the triumph in super-g in Beaver Creek at the beginning of the next one and the injury in Alta Badia that stopped the exponential growth.
In two weeks, Marco Odermatt will return to the Gran Risa to take revenge, and he will do so with the red leader bib of the giant that already today, in the second round of Santa Caterina Valfurva, he honored as best he could not. First success among wide doors, second overall one year after the one in speed on the Birds of Prey (it was December 6, 2019, if we had raced yesterday as expected the date would have been ... special); the 23-year-old from Nidwalden did not win, but dominated Deborah Compagnoni, trimming over 7 tenths to all rivals glued to each other.
And for Switzerland it is a special victory, because it was even since March 2011 that a red cross had not rejoiced in giant, when Carlo Janka beat everyone on the Podkoren of Kranjska Gora. The work done as a team can also be seen by the results of Gino Caviezel, albeit in the shade here in Valtellina, and a Loic Meillard twice fourth in 48 hours, but it is clear that Odermatt is a precious gem that makes a story in itself.
A champion who seems ready to play for the absolute World Cup immediately, also because the two main favorites, Pinturault and Kristoffersen, have never been on the podium in the three giants played so far; the native of Buochs, in turn, has never gone down and now has already hooked the French at the top of the overall (at 240 points, Kristoffersen has 84 fewer and is preceded by Zubcic). Of course, slalom is missing compared to the two rivals, but in speed and in super-g in particular, the Swiss can collect a lot. "It is a great emotion that I felt today - said Odermatt in the FIS post-race interview - The pressure of the first time with the red bib was there, as well as the fact of being in the lead halfway through the race, what which had never happened to me before.
I'm also proud for this, but I was focused on the starting gate of the 2nd heat, knowing that I had to push without too many calculations to be able to win. And I did it above all in the final stretch, paying attention in the first part ".
A champion management, he who also passed Covid with that positivity (fortunately with mild symptoms) that made him lose the parallel of Lech / Zuers and forced him to ten days of quarantine. On skis, however, he is back even more charged and stronger than before, the 48 hours of Santa Caterina prove it.
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Giant slalom Male replaces: 06.12.2020 Santa Caterina (ITA)
ODERMATT Marco
FORD Tommy
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