Dominant Marco Odermatt triumphs in giant slalom on home snow in sunny Adelboden

Marco Odermatt appears unstoppable at the moment, claiming his sixth FIS Alpine Ski World Cup race win of the season with victory in the Adelboden giant slalom on Saturday (7 January).

The Swiss racer gave the home fans plenty to cheer as he dominated the race, finishing first on both runs to clinch a clear victory by nearly three-quarters of a second.

To loud roars from the over 30,000 people packed at the bottom of the famous Chuenisbärgli course, the 25-year-old skiied aggressively to triumph in a combined time of 2:30.68.

While there had been concerns that warmer-than-average temperatures of 5°C (41°F) coupled with a lack of snow – only the racing piste on the slope was covered in the white stuff – could disrupt the race, the event proceeded as planned much to the delight of the Swiss crowd, who were treated to a double podium finish with Loïc Meillard coming in third.

Such was Odermatt's domination that the gap between the winner and his team-mate in third was 1.66 seconds, with Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen splitting them 0.73 seconds behind Odermatt.

"It's just amazing. I really could enjoy the race today," Odermatt told FIS TV afterwards. "After last year (which he also won), I knew I could win this race and now those emotions, you can hear it. It's unbelievable."

There was some concern late on in the second run with a long race delay after a serious-looking crash for France's Victor Muffat-Jeandet, who was extricated from the course by safety marshals after he barrelled into the safety netting. French TV reports indicated Muffat-Jeandet was suspected to have suffered a possible broken nose.

With his win, Odermatt solidifies his grip on both the overall and discipline World Cup standings. He leads Kristoffersen by 115 points in the giant slalom ranking, and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in the overall crystal globe race by 400 points.

Results - Adelboden giant slalom, 7 January 2023

1. Marco Odermatt (SUI) 2:30.68
2. Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) +0.73
3. Loïc Meillard (SUI) +1.66
4. Manuel Feller (AUT) +2.27
5. Zan Kranjec (SLO) +2.40
6. Alexis Pinturault (FRA) +2.50
7. Marco Schwarz (AUT) +2.56
8. Gino Caveziel (SUI) +2.77