RTL in Adelboden

ÖSV team comes away empty-handed at Odermatt show

Marco Odermatt(Bild: EPA/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT)

There was nothing to be gained for Austria's giant slalom team in Adelboden! While Marco Odermatt confidently raced to victory on home turf on Saturday, Raphael Haaser was the only ÖSV skier to make it into the top 10, finishing eighth. Marco Schwarz and Stefan Brennsteiner were eliminated in the second run.

For the fifth time in a row, Odermatt won the giant slalom at Chuenisbärgli in his home town of Adelboden – before the Swiss ski star, only Ingemar Stenmark had achieved this from 1979 to 1984. Odermatt finished well ahead of Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (+0.49 seconds), who is competing for Brazil, and France's Leo Anguenot (+0.68).

The Austrians were mere extras at the Swiss ski party. World champion Raphael Haaser was the best Austrian in eighth place (+1.78). An ÖSV duo was unable to capitalize on its good starting position at lunchtime to storm the podium. Joshua Sturm, the surprise man of the first run in fifth place, fell back to 14th. Marco Schwarz, sixth after the first run, slipped with a clear lead on the steep finish slope and skidded out of the course.

The result:

Stefan Brennsteiner had to relinquish the lead in the giant slalom standings to Odermatt. He finished 21st at the halfway point in the second run. Lukas Feurstein finished 21st in snowfall and thick cloud cover in the Bernese Oberland. Three Austrians failed to make it into the second run, including Manuel Feller (35th).

Austria training before the triumphal procession
The day after the national day of mourning, Odermatt caused a skiing party with his sixth victory of the season in front of thousands of his compatriots. "This atmosphere, being able to ski down here last with green, is unique. Winning here for the fifth time is so cool," said the undisputed leader of the overall standings. He said he had felt good all week and had trained well at Reiteralm in Austria. "The feeling came back perfectly. I know how to ski fast here," Odermatt told ORF. "I also like it when it's winter weather, when not everything is perfect and you have to ski smart."

Braathen successfully overcame his trauma. "This is my first (giant slalom) result after my crash here," he recalled of his knee injury in 2021. "I have so much trauma and fear of that last steep slope," said Braathen, who had already stood on the Adelboden podium three times in the slalom afterwards. "I did a lot of mental work for this race."

 disappointed after crashHaaser had not achieved a top ten result in giant slalom since finishing sixth at the season opener in Sölden. "I can live with the result. The time gap still puzzles me a little. But things are moving in the right direction." The Tyrolean still lacks the final confidence "to attack unconditionally." Schwarz was disappointed after his crash: "That doesn't get me anywhere. I know my giant swing is fast. The crash is a complete mess."

The overall World Cup standings:

Sturm raced to fifth place in the first run, completely unexpectedly, with start number 33. "It didn't feel good, but it was really the battle line." The 24-year-old didn't want to "pull back" in the second run either, but after falling back, he had to admit: "I let myself get a little intimidated." Nevertheless, he will be satisfied with a little distance, said the Tyrolean after his best World Cup result.

Brennsteiner made a mistake with his equipment
For Brennsteiner, Adelboden remains an unsolvable mystery. The Salzburg native insisted that he had madea mistake withhisequipment. "Apparently, I'm not experienced enough," said the 34-year-old. He has two pairs of skis, one of which is faster around corners and one of which is slower around corners. "I misjudged the speed and wasn't aggressive enough with the tuning on the base." After a serious mistake, he found himself in 21st place at the halfway point.

But instead of the hoped-for comeback, the veteran slipped on the inside of his boot and shortly afterwards sat frustrated in the soft snow. "I tried to take a risk, changed my equipment and felt better. But then I made a stupid mistake." Twelfth place remains Brennsteiner's best result in this classic race. In the giant slalom standings, Odermatt now leads by 95 points after six of nine races.