ADERBODEN, Switzerland (AP) — Swiss ski star Marco Odermatt is poised to win Switzerland’s iconic World Cup giant slalom race for the fifth consecutive year on Saturday.
Odermatt braved falling snow and poor visibility to lead the first run by 0.49 seconds, despite a rare error near the finish line, which left him about two-tenths of a second behind.
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Brazil’s Lucas Pinheiro Braathen was second and Norway’s Timon Haugan was third with a time of 0.53 in the afternoon session.
Normally in Adelboden, as the sun sets behind the mountains surrounding the Chuenisbaergli Stadium, the first-round leaders have to contend with fading light as the second round begins just after 2pm.
Riders dealt with overcast conditions and snowy conditions on Saturday, which Odermatt said wasn’t easy. Only five runners came within a second of the Olympic giant slalom champion’s first-round time.
Since 2022, Odermatt has won consecutive giant slalom races in Adelboden, tying Swedish star Ingemar Stenmark’s record of four consecutive wins from 1979 to 1982.
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The Adelboden giant slalom has been a fixture in the men’s event since the first week of the World Cup in January 1967. The champion at the time was another iconic skier, Jean-Claude Killy.
The Chuenisbaergli course features iconic rolling terrain amid summer cow pastures. Skiers climb up the slopes and onto the steep final slope before descending into the raucous finish area, which is filled with most of the crowd, which usually numbers 25,000 on Saturdays.
The match began with a minute’s silence for the victims of a fatal fire at a bar in nearby Crans-Montana, which is hosting World Cup matches in three weeks.
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AP Skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing