Downhill in Wengen

Only the outstanding Odermatt faster than Kriechmayr

Vincent Kriechmayr (left) was extremely strong on Saturday, but Marco Odermatt was still out of reach.(Bild: GEPA)

Marco Odermatt remains unbeatable in the downhill race in Wengen. The Swiss skiing star celebrated his fourth downhill victory in a row on the Lauberhorn – once again with a demonstration of his power. Vincent Kriechmayr was already 0.79 seconds behind in second place in the shortened race, but ended a negative streak of eleven downhill races without an ÖSV podium finish just before next week's Hahnenkamm races. Third place went to Super-G winner Giovanni Franzoni from Italy (+0.90).

The Swiss skiers Franjo von Allmen (+0.93) and Alexis Monney (+0.95) finished fourth and fifth. Daniel Hemetsberger was the second-best Austrian in eighth place (+1.37). Unlike Franzoni, Stefan Babinsky (+2.54), who finished second in Friday's super-G, was unable to shine again. Kriechmayr turned the tables after finishing twelfth in the super-G. "One of my better runs in the downhill this year. It was very good in parts," Kriechmayr told ORF. His second place certainly won't hurt his confidence. "But I still don't have a lead for the next race."

Vincent Kriechmayr(Bild: AFP/FABRICE COFFRINI)

Odermatt irresistible
Due to wind, the start was moved down to Hundschopf. Compared to the original downhill, the race time was reduced by about 45 seconds. Kriechmayr was the first of the top contenders to start with bib number 6, but he immediately had to relinquish his place in the sun amid chants of "Odi, Odi, Odi." Odermatt smashed the Upper Austrian's best time by eight tenths of a second.

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  The Swiss was a few hundredths faster than Kriechmayr in every sector. "I can find two or three tenths, but eight tenths, God forbid. It's unbelievable what Odi has delivered again," said Kriechmayr, the two-time Wengen winner (2019, 2022). In February 2024, he also secured the last podium place for an Austrian in a World Cup downhill race to date, finishing second in Kvitfjell, and won World Championship silver last February. "Of course, it was bitter that we've been lagging behind so much for the last two years. But I didn't always worry about it," Kriechmayr admitted. The last Austrian downhill victory was 20 World Cup races ago.

Von Allmen touches the barrier
Odermatt's victory on the day remained unchallenged. Von Allmen, who was highly rated after finishing second last year, took a huge risk and touched the barrier in the Kernen-S, subsequently losing the race to Kriechmayr. Dominik Paris, Babinsky, and Hemetsberger also had difficulties around the unique right-left combination. "I was half a meter too late," Hemetsberger analyzed. "That cost me six tenths." Babinsky didn't feel comfortable from the start. "That annoys me because I have good basic speed. I just struggled the whole race."

The competition waited eagerly for Franzoni, who had dominated training and, with bib number 28 and a flatter light, pushed Von Allmen off the podium. Once again, Odermatt was beyond reproach. "I already knew when I crossed the finish line that it was very good," said Odermatt after his seventh victory of the season, his 52nd in the World Cup. With his fourth victory in Wengen, he became the Lauberhorn record holder ahead of Beat Feuz and Franz Klammer, who had both won three times. With 1,105 points, he has now collected more than twice as many World Cup points as the second-placed Lucas Pinheiro Braathen (538).

The result:

Next week, the speed madness continues in Kitzbühel.