Marco Odermatt continues to live up to the high expectations this winter. Even for the high-flyer on the scene, success is anything but a matter of course.
10.03.2025, 06:00
10.03.2025, 06:39
SDA
"He'll fix it again." Of course he did it again. Of course he's the best again this winter. In the overall World Cup for the fourth time, in the Super-G World Cup for the third time in a row. Things are also looking good for him in the giant slalom and downhill. The best again, of course? Yes, because it has become the norm for Marco Odermatt to win the overall World Cup, to be number 1 in "his" disciplines too, to collect more crystal globes in passing, so to speak.
It has become a habit for Odermatt to lead the way. His successes are taken for granted. Since the beginning of his dominance, the bandwidth between success and unfulfilled expectations has become ever narrower for the man from Nidwalden. Victories are the claim, podium places are taken for granted, placings outside the top three raise questions.
Odermatt has to live with this enormous expectation, this pressure that has broken many a top athlete. But he knows how to deal with it. He accepts the role that comes with his status. He manages this because he sees nothing special in himself, because he has always remained himself, a human being. For him, sporting heights are not about taking off. He feels most comfortable with both feet firmly planted on the ground. Odermatt has internalized principles such as modesty, respect and decency.
Common ground in everyday life
Odermatt likes to have things in common in his everyday sporting life. He has therefore never toyed with the idea of going his own way as a ski racer, cutting himself off from his teammates and setting up a private team. Life in the group suits him. He is not only a welcome yardstick, but also a role model and advisor. In his wake, the young Swiss have developed magnificently in the speed sector, faster than expected. So fast that they have often been faster than him in races. Odermatt has no problem with this. He too can continue to grow with the challenge of being a ski racer. This unit is not only a stroke of luck for the upstarts and for Swiss-Ski, but also for Odermatt himself.
Odermatt did not win as often in the season that is coming to an end as he did in the two previous winters, partly because of the "young guns" in the Swiss team. He had achieved 13 victories each time, and two years ago won the World Championship titles in downhill and giant slalom. He currently has eight first places in the World Cup and was crowned World Champion in the Super-G. The complainers see this interim result as a step backwards and a favorite who has struggled more than before. In Austria, the tabloids counted Odermatt among the "losers" at the World Championships in Saalbach.
Odermatt has taken note of this assessment. He has probably given it some thought, but only expressed his opinion in a short sentence. "That doesn't bother me." The opinion of the barkers in Austria's media may be completely exaggerated. Nevertheless, there is an element of truth to it, namely that different standards apply to Odermatt.
This different standard will also be applied when assessing this season. There will be no lack of critical comments. There will be comments about the lack of best marks, that Odermatt fell well short of the record total of 2042 points he set two years ago. Or that the record lead of 874 points from last year has remained untouched.
The battle against the specialists
But there is also another way of looking at it, which requires a closer look. Odermatt is also by far the most successful in many respects this winter. He has won twice as many World Cup races as the second best. Frenchman Clément Noël has come first in the slalom four times so far. With 15 podium places, Odermatt is also well ahead. The Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen, the next best, currently has eight rankings in this area.
Once again, these are exceptional figures for someone whose calendar has more entries than that of his direct competitors. What is often forgotten: Odermatt competes against specialists without exception. He has to make compromises in his preparation for the individual competitions, put in more effort and constantly adapt. The switch from downhill to super-G is not too big a step, but the giant slalom feels like a different sport - different in terms of the equipment, different in terms of the physical strain. The movement sequences are markedly different.
Odermatt will retain the extensive program for the time being. He will continue on his chosen path and stick to his principles - at least for the next two years. As he said before the start of this winter during the final preparations at the training camp in Copper Mountain, Colorado, he will go over the books after the World Championships in Crans-Montana in the season after next. He believes that a reduced workload with a focus on downhill and super-G will then be possible.
Odermatt doesn't want to focus on planning for the distant future. Even as a highly decorated skier, he continues to pursue his goals and still has exciting tasks ahead of him. He wants to continue to meet the demands, including his own. He is ready to do the same in the future.
