Val Gardena Gröden Alpine Ski World Cup Super-G Races Preview
Updated: Dec 16, 2022
In the last nine men's World Cup Super-G events, Austrian (9), Norwegian (7) and Swiss (7) skiers claimed 23 of the 27 podium finishes. USA's Travis Ganong (third in the second SG held in Beaver Creek last season), Canada's James Crawford (second in Kvitfjell in March 2022) and Broderick Thompson (third in the first SG held in Beaver Creek last season), and Alexis Pinturault (third in the SG held in Beaver Creek) are the exceptions.
The only Italian to win a Super-G in Val Gardena was Werner Heel in December 2008. Christof Innerhofer was the last one to finish on the podium, a second place in December 2018.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde won the last World Cup Super-G held in Beaver Creek. The Norwegian skied again very aggressively mastering the key passages on the technically demanding first sections and managed to be the fastest man on the lower part of the Birds of Prey racecourse.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has won eight World Cup Super-G events, most among active male skiers. He can join Marc Girardelli (9) for fifth in the all-time record for Super-G wins.
The Norwegian has won five of the last eight men's World Cup Super-G events. In the other three events, he recorded two second places and one fourth place. Beaver Creek's win is his 16th World Cup victory.
Aleksander Aamodt Kilde has won the last two Super-G World Cup events in Val Gardena-Gröden in 2020 and 2021. The only skier to have won more World Cup Super-G events in the South Tirol ski resort is Aksel Lund Svindal (5).
Val Gardena, two wins and four podiums, and Beaver Creek, also two wins and four podiums, are the two venues where Kilde has had the most success in World Cup Super G events.
Marco Odermatt won the first Super-G of the season in Lake Louise.
The 25-year-old Swiss star has won five super-G World Cup events in his career, third-most among Swiss men, behind Pirmin Zurbriggen (10) and Didier Cuche (6).
The last Swiss man to win a Super-G World Cup in Val Gardena was Beat Feuz in December 2011. Switzerland claimed only one podium finish in a Super-G in the Saslong racecourse since then, a second place for Mauro Caviezel in December 2020.
Odermatt's best result in a Super-G in Val Gardena was a ninth place in 2020.
Matthias Mayer has won three World Cup races in the Super-G.
Mayer recorded 10 Super-G podium finishes in the World Cup since his last win on 1 December 2019 in Lake Louise, including a third place in Canada last week.
Mayer (22) can tie Pirmin Zurbriggen (23) and Didier Cuche (23) for fifth place with the most World Cup podium finishes in the men's Super-G.
The 32-year-old Austrian has been on the podium twice in the Val Gardena-Gröden Super-G, second in 2021 and third in 2017.
Vincent Kriechmayr has won seven World Cup Super-G events, secondmost among Austrian men, behind Hermann Maier (24).
In 2019 Kriechmayr won the Super-G race in Val Gardena. Last season he finished in third position behind Kilde and Mayer.