Marco Odermatt wins super-G, approaches points record
The Associated Press | Posted: March 16, 2023 12:23 PM | Last Updated: March 17, 2023
Canada's Jeffrey Read finishes 5th
Swiss skier Marco Odermatt won the men's super-G at the World Cup Finals on Thursday in Soldeu, Andorra, to close in on the 23-year-old record for most points in a single season.
The victory raised Odermatt's tally to 1,942 points, leaving him 58 short of the all-time mark set by Austrian great Hermann Maier in the 1999-2000 season.
Odermatt can break the record of 2,000 points with a top-three finish in Saturday's giant slalom. He has finished on the podium in all eight giant slalom races he started this season.
"I have achieved everything I wanted this season so I'm going to celebrate today," said Odermatt, who has secured the overall, super-G and giant slalom season titles. "With what's left in my tank, I will attack on Saturday. When it happens, then it's great. If not, then I don't owe anyone an explanation."
Theoretically, Odermatt would have another chance in Sunday's season-ending slalom, but he has never raced in that event on World Cup level.
The overall record, between men and women, is held by Slovenian standout Tina Maze, who gathered 2,414 points when she won the women's overall title 10 years ago.
Odermatt, a two-time overall champion, had already locked up the season title in super-G after winning five of the previous seven races. He added his sixth triumph in the discipline, and 12th overall this season, by beating Marco Schwarz of Austria by 0.29 seconds.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde finished 0.71 seconds behind in third, a day after the Norwegian received the globe for the best downhiller of the season.
Mikaela Shiffrin, who is Kilde's girlfriend and watched the race from the finish area, hugged Odermatt to congratulate him after the race.
Canada's Jeffrey Read crossed the line 0.87 seconds behind Odermatt for a fifth-place finish.
WATCH | Career day for Canada's Jeff Read:
The men used the exact same Aliga course as the women did for their super-G earlier Thursday.
Odermatt, whose winning time was 1 minute, 23.91 seconds, was nearly three seconds faster than Swiss teammate Lara Gut-Behrami, who won the women's race in 1:26.70.
The team event is scheduled for Friday.