Odermatt is third in the Santa Caterina giant slalom – Zubcic wins

Odermatt is third in the Santa Caterina giant slalom – Zubcic wins

The Swiss giant slalom riders also convince in their second appearance this World Cup season. Marco Odermatt finished third at Santa Caterina in Valtellina, behind Croatian Filip Zubcic and Slovenian Zan Kranjec, and Loïc Meillard fourth.

Seven weeks ago, in the traditional prologue on the Rettenbach glacier above Sölden, Odermatt, in second place, lost first place by five hundredths, this time, in the first of two giant slalom this weekend, it was three-tenths. The prognosis, therefore, is not too daring: the first World Cup victory by a Swiss in a giant slalom in almost ten years is only a matter of time.

Odermatt is presumably Swiss-Ski’s strongest “giant” rider at the moment in a strong team that has been producing top positions almost on assembly line work for two years and the unexpected third place for Thomas Tumler, who he is currently in custody due to recent back problems at Beaver Creek. Since the Graubünden coup in Colorado, eight places have been added to the top three, driven by three drivers in a discipline in which most Swiss had been among the extras in the winters. In addition to Odermatt, Meillard and Gino Caviezel have also attended the award ceremonies.

Perfect breeding ground

Coach Helmut Krug’s sworn team provides the perfect breeding ground for successful action. The constant competition, which turns each training session into a career mode training unit, of course improves performance, the very good camaraderie offers a guarantee for a harmonious coexistence in addition to Slopes.

In Sölden the weather was splendid with sun and blue skies, in Santa Caterina, who intervened in replacement of Val d’Isère, the conditions were anything but ideal. Heavy and persistent snowfall, the associated limited visibility, and the rough and bumpy slope after a few drivers made the task even more difficult.

Odermatt, who has taken the lead in the discipline ranking thanks to two podiums, and Meillard are now solid enough not to let the difficult conditions bother them. And of the possible consequences of their mandatory break, which they had to take due to the positive corona tests, the duo felt nothing anyway.

The next taste of Bissig

Caviezel, on the other hand, on the podium for the first time after a World Cup race thanks to third place in Sölden, was eliminated in the first round. Justin Murisier also had a harder time than he started almost two months ago, which isn’t surprising given his injury history. The Valais, who recently also spent time in isolation due to the crown, still lack self-confidence and conviction in such conditions. Murisier found himself in 25th place in the final ranking.

Semyel Bissig was significantly higher on the ranking list. The second Nidwalden in the Swiss lineup provided another display of his talent. The squad B rider, who started at number 51, improved twelve places to 16 in the second race and immediately secured points in his first outing in a giant slalom at the World Cup. A week ago, Bissig surprised with fifth place in the parallel race at Lech / Zürs.

Two friends and training partners fought for victory against each other. Zubcic, who last February claimed the first victory for a Croat in a World Cup giant slalom at Naeba in Japan under similar slope conditions, rose to the top from sixth place and overtook Kranjec, who was leading with half the workload, by twelve hundredths. (bal / sda)