The Swiss armada, which is dominating the World Cup, wants to continue its run of success in the World Championship downhill in Saalbach. Marco Odermatt is the defending champion.
09.02.2025, 08:28
SDA
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- The men's downhill is on the program at the World Ski Championships on Sunday.
- Will Marco Odermatt succeed in defending his title? The man from Nidwalden could do so for the first time in 53 years (Bernhard Russi was the last to do so).
- The Swiss downhill skiers are in good form, but other skiers such as Ryan Cochran-Siegle and Vincent Kriechmayr are also capable of doing well.
Let's play with the numbers. Swiss-Ski athletes have dominated four of the five downhill races so far with double victories. In theory, that would mean an 80 percent probability of victory in the most prestigious World Championship race.
Justin Murisier won in Beaver Creek, Colorado, ahead of Odermatt, the man from Nidwalden in Val Gardena/Gröden and Wengen ahead of Franjo von Allmen and Alexis Monney in Bormio, also ahead of Von Allmen. Monney also came second in Kitzbühel.
Russi last downhill title defender
The numbers game is based on facts - and these can confidently be regarded as a good, indeed very good basis for a successful performance on Sunday. With another triumph, Odermatt could achieve something rare and unprecedented for 53 years - the successful defense of his title. The last person to achieve this was Bernhard Russi. Two years after his coup at the World Championships in Val Gardena/Gröden, he also won gold at the Olympic Games in Sapporo. The alpine competitions under the five rings were also counted as world championships at the time. After the 1980 Games in Lake Placid, New York, this passage was eliminated from the regulations.
The fact that the form of the skiers from the quartet that has performed so well in the World Cup so far is good without exception - and that the conditions on the Schneekristall/Zwölfer piste are also to their liking - is a further boost to confidence. The fifth Swiss starter is Stefan Rogentin. The man from Graubünden beat Marco Kohler and Lars Rösti in the internal qualification on Thursday in the second training session.
Not only the Swiss feel comfortable on the course
Figures, confidence - all well and good. But there must be a reminder. Not only the Swiss, but also other riders feel comfortable on the World Championship track. The strong training performances of Ryan Cochran-Siegle, for example, come to mind. The American was the fastest twice. Or Vincent Kriechmayr. The Austrian has returned to his old strength after his forced break due to an inner ligament strain in his right knee suffered in the downhill in Wengen.
