Marco Odermatt secures season-opening giant slalom win in Sölden

Swiss Olympic champion Marco Odermatt wanted the win on Sunday (23 October), and skied like it.

Holding the lead from the first run of the giant slalom at the FIS Alpine Ski World Cup season-opening race in Sölden, Austria, Odermatt took an aggressive and risky line in the second to not only clinch the victory, but also pad his winning margin.

It was an impressive performance in warm 8°C (46°F) conditions, which caused the piste to deteriorate quickly on the second run, something which caught many of the top skiers out. But not Odermatt.

The Swiss had a healthy advantage from the first run ahead of Norway's Lucas Braathen (+0.41) and Olympic silver medallist Zan Kranjec of Slovenia (+0.69).

But the signs were there that the weather would play a significant role in the second run.

USA's Tommy Ford, 26th after the first run, was fifth down the slope on the second and took a lead he would hold for 14 further racers until Rasmus Windingstad of Norway displaced him.

Last year's World Cup giant slalom runner-up Henrik Kristoffersen then moved into the lead with Kranjec overtaking him before Braathen failed to beat the pair.

That guaranteed Norwegian veteran Kristoffersen a first career podium at his bogey race in Austria.

But the last word went to Odermatt who, despite a few wobbly moments including needing to put his left hand down on the piste at one point for balance, managed to extend his gap over Kranjec to 0.76 seconds.

"I was not sure if (my run) was enough, it was a really big fight," Odermatt reflected in his post-race comments. "The snow got worse and worse, the second run was really hard to ski, I guess everyone made some mistakes."

With the next scheduled event in Zermatt-Cervinia cancelled, the next men's World Cup stop is the parallel slalom in Lech/Zürs, Austria, from 12–13 November, followed by a downhill and two Super-Gs in Lake Louise, Canada.

Results - Men's giant slalom, Sölden

1. Marco Odermatt (SUI) 2:04.72
2. Zan Kranjec (SLO) 2:05.48
3. Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) 2:05.69
4. Lucas Braathen (NOR) 2:05.82
5. Rasmus Windingstad (NOR) 2:05.83
6. Tommy Ford (USA) 2:05.88
7. Loïc Meillard (SUI) 2:05.91
8. Alexander Schmid (GER) 2:06.09