
After two 4th places, Fredrik Möller even celebrated his first World Cup victory in the last super-G. The calm Norwegian also surprised the Swiss with his performance.
He hardly knows Fredrik Möller yet, says Stefan Rogentin when asked about the Norwegian who is shaking up the super-G competition this season. Before this winter, he had heard the name "maybe once or twice". The Swiss speed specialist is like many observers of skiing. The 24-year-old Möller has risen to the top of the world practically out of nowhere.
When Möller finished fourth in the super-G in Beaver Creek, it was assumed that he had benefited from the better conditions like other racers with higher starting numbers. It was all the more surprising when he finished 4th again in Val Gardena/Gröden between Marco Odermatt and Stefan Rogentin. And since Bormio at the latest, when he set a time with bib number 4 that no other skier achieved, it has been clear that Möller is no one-hit wonder.
It was the first Norwegian victory in a speed discipline since Aleksander Kilde won the downhill in Aspen in March 2023. The latter was euphoric about his successor. Kilde, who has been out injured since his serious crash in Wengen last year, called a Norwegian supervisor in the finish area during the race in Bormio so that he could pass him on to Möller. It was important to him to congratulate Möller personally on his milestone.
Big comparisons in Norway
In general, big comparisons are already being made in Norway. Kjetil Jansrud, for example, said that Möller's skiing style reminded him of Aksel Svindal. A statement that Möller must have found particularly flattering. After all, both Jansrud and Svindal are among his childhood idols, alongside the Austrian Marcel Hirscher and the American Ted Ligety. The two Norwegian ski icons celebrated their greatest triumphs in the super-G: Svindal won the discipline ranking in the World Cup five times and became Olympic champion in Vancouver in 2010, while Jansrud took the small crystal globe in the super-G three times and won Olympic gold in Sochi in 2014.
Möller is often called "Steady Freddy" by his teammates, which is due to his particularly calm nature. This is also evident in conversation. Möller's answers are friendly, but also monosyllabic and in a low voice, which makes him seem a little shy. "It was really cool" in Bormio, says Möller. Despite his good results in the two previous super-Gs, he never expected to be able to celebrate his first World Cup victory there.
He can't explain exactly how this exploit came about, Möller continues. "At the moment, everything just fits together in the super-G." There is a reason why he emphasizes this discipline. After all, his downhill finishes of 37th (Beaver Creek), 33rd (Val Gardena/Gröden) and 20th (Bormio) are far less exhilarating. In addition, there are five giant slaloms in which Möller was eliminated once and missed out on qualifying for the second run four times. He therefore hopes to be able to transfer his performances from the super-G to the other disciplines as soon as possible.
On a par with Von Allmen
Möller says he inherited his passion for skiing from his parents. As they both practiced telemark skiing, which is particularly popular in Norway, the young Fredrik was also on skis from an early age. He was already regularly on the slopes at around the age of three, says Möller. He later joined the ski club in Oppdal, which is located around 120 kilometers southwest of Trondheim in a popular mountain region.
In Switzerland, he has particularly fond memories of Zinal. He first attracted attention on the course in Valais in December 2021 with 9th place in the European Cup giant slalom. This was followed by two giant slalom victories at the second-highest level before Möller made his World Cup debut in Val d'Isère in December 2023. His first season was mixed, with 21st place as his best result and only 25 World Cup points. This winter, he already has 211 points, on a par with Franjo von Allmen.
When the Lauberhorn races open with the super-G on Friday, Fredrik Möller could therefore take on the role of spoiler from a Swiss perspective. Unsurprisingly, he himself is holding back with big announcements. "Wengen is a big challenge, a very tough race. But yes, of course I want to leave as many Swiss behind me as possible."