Marco Odermatt breaks another record set by skiing legend Pirmin Zurbriggen with 3rd place in Kranjska Gora, but lets his giant slalom rival Henrik Kristoffersen close in on him in the battle for the small crystal globe. Does he still have to tremble in the discipline rankings?
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- Marco Odermatt finishes on the World Cup podium in Kranjska Gora for the 84th time in his career.
- The man from Nidwalden thus breaks Pirmin Zurbriggen's previous Swiss record (83 podium finishes).
- At the same time, however, the Swiss racer's result gives his closest rival further hope of winning the small crystal globe in the giant slalom.
- Henrik Kristoffersen, who took victory in Kranjska Gora, is still 41 points behind with two races to go before the end of the season.
"I'm already losing some ground in the bullet fight," admits Marco Odermatt after the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora. The man from Nidwalden is in third place behind winner Henrik Kristoffersen and Lucas Braathen, who is competing for Brazil, and is missing out on important points in the battle for the small crystal globe.
"The wrong guy just won," smiles Odi in the finish area. "But it was clear that it would come down to a duel with Henrik again. The lead is shrinking, but I'm still taking something with me," says Odermatt, who currently still has a 41-point lead over the Norwegian in the giant slalom standings.
However, Kristoffersen only has two races left to catch up with Odermatt. First on March 15 in Hafjell, Norway, followed by the last chance at the World Cup final in Sun Valley in the USA (March 26).
The Norwegian is also Odermatt's closest rival for victory in the overall World Cup. In the battle for the big crystal globe, however, the Swiss ski high-flyer has a lead of almost 500 points. There is hardly any suspense left.
Next Zurbriggen record broken
Accordingly, Odi is delighted with the result, even if a little disappointment remains. "When you know that you have a real lead over those who have already started, then logically you go for the win. If you then finish second, that's not what you want."
He has noticed that not everything works as easily and automatically this year as it did last year, but knows: "That's complaining at a high level. A podium finish is always nice, and you have to do that first," Odermatt told SRF.
Meanwhile, with third place in Kranjska Gora, he made the next entry in the history books. It is the 84th podium finish for the man from Buoch, who has already replaced Pirmin Zurbriggen as the Swiss record holder at the age of 27 (83 podium finishes).
However, there is still a long way to go before he reaches the international record. The new record holder, Mikaela Shiffrin, is likely to extend this further in the future. The US American recently celebrated her 100th World Cup victory in the slalom in Sestriere.
The 29-year-old has already stood on the podium a total of 156 times in her career. The men's record holder is Ingemar Stenmark with 155 podium finishes.
