ADELBODEN, Switzerland (AP) — Swiss ski star Marco Odermatt was well set Saturday to win his nation’s signature World Cup giant slalom race for a record fifth straight year.
Odermatt raced through steady falling snow and tough visibility to take a lead of 0.49 seconds in the first run, despite dropping about two-tenths of a second with a rare error close to the finish line.
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Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil was second-fastest, and Timon Haugan of Norway was third with 0.53 to make up in the afternoon run.
Often at Adelboden first-run leaders must deal with fading light starting their second run after 2 p.m. when the sun has dipped behind mountains surrounding the Chuenisbaergli course.
Racers dealt with overcast conditions Saturday and a snow surface Odermatt said was not easy. Only five racers were within a second of the Olympic giant slalom champion’s first-run time.
Odermatt has won each Adelboden giant slalom since 2022 matching the four-win streak of Swedish great Ingemar Stenmark 1979 through 1982.
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The Adelboden giant slalom has been a fixture on the men’s calendar since the first week of World Cup racing in January 1967. Then, the winner was another iconic ski name, Jean-Claude Killy.
The Chuenisbaergli course has signature rolling terrain over summer cow pastures. Skiers crest a rise before entering the steep final slope that funnels then down into a noisy finish area packed with most of a crowd that typically counts 25,000 for Saturday races.
Racing began after a minute’s silence observed for the victims of the fatal fire in a bar in nearby Crans-Montana, which hosts World Cup races in three weeks’ time.
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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
