By Canadian Press

Odermatt masters steep finish, leads World Cup giant slalom

Jan 8, 2022 | 6:01 AM

ADELBODEN, Switzerland (AP) — World Cup overall leader Marco Odermatt led the first run of a giant slalom Saturday, aiming to give Alpine ski powerhouse Switzerland its first win in 14 years in its classic home race.

Odermatt was 0.31 seconds faster than Alexis Pinturault, the defending overall champion who won at Adelboden one year ago. Filip Zubcic was 0.50 back in third.

Reigning world champion Mathieu Faivre was fourth with 0.52 to make up in the afternoon run as the only other skier within a second of the leader.

Odermatt was a full half-second faster than any rival down the signature steep final pitch. He was cheered on to the finish by more than 10,000 noisy fans who were absent last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adelboden typically draws about 25,000 fans for a storied giant slalom that is a World Cup fixture. The Chuenisbärgli course of snow-covered cow pastures has hosted its giant slalom in the first week of World Cup racing in January 1967.

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Odermatt has already won three giant slaloms this season and victory Saturday would put the 24-year-old Swiss star in exalted company. Only Alpine ski greats Jean-Claude Killy, Ingemar Stenmark, Ted Ligety and Marcel Hirscher have won at least four of the first five giant slaloms in a World Cup season.

Five of the top-15 starters failed to finish a twisting and tiring first run with Odermatt’s time just under 1 minute, 18 seconds untypically long for a giant slalom.

Luca De Aliprandini, the worlds silver medalist last February, crashed out when fastest at the third time check. His left ski hooked a gate — a rarity in giant slalom where the margins for making turns are wider than in slalom.

The Italian team said initial tests on De Aliprandini did not reveal a serious injury.

River Radamus, the highest-ranked American in the race wearing bib No. 14, crashed out at the second-to-last gate and was sent sliding sideways across the finish line.

___ More AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/skiing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Associated Press