Marco Odermatt celebrated his fourth victory in the fifth Giant Slalom of the season in an impressive manner setting the best time in both runs. The 25-year-old celebrated his 17th World Cup victory. Odermatt is the second Swiss to win the Giant Slalom World Cup race in Adelboden more than once, after Pirmin Zurbriggen won it three times in 1983 and twice in 1987.
Like last season Odermatt was in a class of its own in the Giant slalom. In front of 25,000 enthusiastic fans, the Swiss was untouchable on the legendary Chuenisbärgli. In Adelboden, the Nidwaldner has claimed his fourth win in the fifth race in the discipline (he won in Sölden, Val-d'Isère and Alta Badia) this winter season.
Odermatt is the third man to reach the podium in 13 successive Giant Slalom World Cup events, after Ingemar Stenmark (22, 1977-1980) and Marcel Hirscher (18, 2016-2018).
Odermatt has won six World Cup events this season. He also won two Super-G races at Lake Louse in November and Bormio in December.
“It is just amazing, crazy, I could really enjoy the race today. After last year I knew I can win this race. I knew at the start I had to push because of Henrik. I was really on the limit with the inside skis, and on the edge. But I thought ‘I can’t go out now, I have to fight. If you don't risk you can't win”, said Odermatt.
Henrik Kristoffersen finished in second place +0.73 seconds behind Odermatt. The Norwegian finished on the podium in four of the five men's Giant Slalom World Cup events this season.
Kristoffersen has achieved five podiums in Giant Slalom in Adelboden, three second places and two third places.
“With a course setting so straight in the second run I have no chance. He is way too good on these straight courses. I can't get him when he's in shape like this. He risked a lot. But I am the only one who is somewhere close to him, so that is good. I’m very happy", said Kristoffersen.
Loic Meillard (+1.66) finished in third place in a 1-3 Swiss podium. It is his 12th World Cup podium, the sixth one in the Giant Slalom discipline.
"To have two swiss guys on the podium at Adelboden is very special. Marco’s confidence is at the top level, and I am still building it up. But to be on the same podium, it shows we are on the right way”, said Meillard.
Meillard made it onto the podium in the third discipline this season. He had previously achieved a third place in the Slalom in Val d'Isère and in the Super-G in Bormio. This makes Meillard the first skier since Marcel Hirscher in the 2015-2016 season to have made it onto the podium in Giant Slalom, Slalom and Super-G podiums in the same winter.
He has collected podiums in five different disciplines: Slalom, Giant Slalom, Alpine Combined, Parallel Giant Slalom, and now the Super-G.