COPPER MOUNTAIN, United States (Reuters) -Switzerland’s four-times overall champion Marco Odermatt opened his Alpine Ski World Cup Super-G campaign with an emphatic win at Copper Mountain on Thursday as he resumed his pursuit of a fourth straight crystal globe in the discipline.
Regarded as one of the greatest all-round skiers of his generation, and a multiple-medal contender for February’s Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, Odermatt delivered a composed run in cloudy conditions to beat Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr — third in last season’s Super-G standings — by 0.08 seconds.
The victory was the Swiss’s 47th on the World Cup circuit and 90th podium, following his triumph in the Giant Slalom season opener in Soelden, Austria, last month.
It also came as the circuit made its first men’s World Cup stop at Copper Mountain since 1976, with fans lining the course on the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.
“Well I don’t know all those numbers at the time but in the end it’s just great to be back on top of the podium in Super-G here, the first speed race of the season. It was a great day for me,” the 28-year-old Odermatt said.
“It was special today and the days before to get into this race mood because we are used to training here every year but never race so it was kind of special to finally race here.
“I had a good plan in my mind and I could really get through from top to the bottom and I think it is a super cool slope.”
Austrian Raphael Haaser, completed the podium, earning his sixth career World Cup Super-G top-three finish.
Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, racing a World Cup speed event for the first time after 22 months out injured, was emotional after his run and sat 16th provisionally before placing 24th overall, with his partner, American great Mikaela Shiffrin, cheering in the crowd.
The Copper Mountain event continues on Friday with the men’s Giant Slalom before the tour heads to next month’s four-day stop in Beaver Creek.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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