Kitzbühel spectacle

Odermatt: “This is my last big goal”

Marco Odermatt(Bild: APA/TOBIAS STEINMAURER)

Swiss ski dominator Marco Odermatt is chasing his first "Golden Chamois"! But the toughest competition comes from his own camp ...

"That doesn't mean that I want to win fewer bullets or medals - but yes, that's the last big goal that I haven't achieved yet." Olympic champion, two-time world champion, three-time overall World Cup winner, 43 World Cup successes - but Marco Odermatt is still missing the Golden Chamois in Kitz in his collection.

The 27-year-old has already finished on the podium here four times, but last year double winner Cyprien Sarrazin stole the show - the Frenchman is the big absentee this year in Kitzbühel, having to watch on like Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and Vincent Kriechmayr. All injured.

Vincent Kriechmayr(Bild: GEPA)

But Odermatt doesn't want to conjure up a safety debate because of this: "I keep skiing on skis that are seven or eight years old, many are on bindings that have been used for decades. The material hasn't become more dangerous. In Formula 1, nobody is discussing the idea of only driving at 150 km/h on straights." Everyone is aware of the dangers of the sport, "that's what makes our sport so special".

A challenge
Odermatt has already experienced the fine line between courage and risk first-hand on the Streif: two years ago, he barely avoided a fall on the steep slope exit and was unable to compete the following day. "That's one of the key sections, you draw on your speed on the exit for the next 30 or 40 seconds." After the first two training sessions, "Odi" still has room for improvement: "The decisive passages didn't fit at all."

(Bild: GEPA)

He is using today's rest day to analyze, then it's time to flip the switch. "You need the perfect mix of courage, line and risk - but the best skier will win." Physically, Odermatt, the last remaining winner in three disciplines, feels good, the "energy level" is "surprisingly high" despite the home weekends in Adelboden and Wengen: "But it's a challenge - my last speed training was in November. It's not always easy to keep up with the specialists."

Like his team-mate Franjo von Allmen, for example. The 23-year-old is stalking his way towards the top of the world in Odermatt's shadow, recently taking his first World Cup victory in the super-G in Wengen and always coming second in the last three downhill races. Which is why Odermatt jokes: "Maybe I won't tell Franjo all my tricks anymore."

"I still have a score to settle."
Yes, the mood among the Swiss is great ahead of the Streif spectacle. No wonder: there have always been double victories in the four downhill races so far, and the Swiss have taken 13 podium places in eight speed races. While Austria has three. "Things often go up and down in sport - but I don't feel sorry for the Austrians," grins von Allmen. Still waiting for points in Kitzbühel, he adds: "I still have a score to settle with the Streif."