Switzerland's uniquely talented Marco Odermatt snatched his 50th World Cup victory on Thursday, December 18, at the Downhill in Gröden/Val Gardena, Italy, delivering a formidable run on the iconic Saslong in some of the trickiest conditions the circuit has seen this season. Racing through fog delays, snowfall, and a shortened course, Odermatt once again proved why he remains the benchmark in men's skiing.
Odermatt finished in 1min 29.84sec to surpass Cochran-Siegle by .30sec. Norway's Adrian Smiseth Sejersted finished third. The finish line was moved up the hill and just barely visible by fans in the stands due to a lack of snow to properly place the safety netting. The 11th race on the course, Odermatt said he was able to attack the steeper sections and carry enough speed through the flatter part.
The Colorado course is hosting men's World Cup races for just the second time, after 1975-76, and it was the stage for another strong run by Odermatt, who still needed to make up time in the final section to overhaul Vincent Kriechmayr and win by 0.08 seconds. It denied Austria a clean sweep, with Raphael Haaser a further 0.05 back in third and Stefan Babinsky in finishing fourth.
