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Odermatt delivers super-G masterclass for third world gold / Photo: © AFP
Odermatt delivers super-G masterclass for third world gold
Switzerland's Marco Odermatt delivered a skiing masterclass to live up to his top-dog billing and claim super-G gold at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach on Friday.
The 27-year-old, the defending world downhill and giant slalom champion, laid down a near-faultless descent of the 2.3km-long Schneekristall course, timing 1min 24.57sec for victory in brilliant sunshine.
Austrian Raphael Haaser took silver, a whole second off Odermatt, with Norway's Adrian Smiseth Sejersted claiming bronze (+1.15).
In a consummate display of aggressive skiing, Odermatt seemed to realise he had skied a winning run when he raced through into the finish area in front of 15,000 flag-waving spectators in the Austrian resort.
He pounded his chest, acknowledged the baying crowd, making his exit after having blown them a kiss.
"The run was very, very close to perfection," Odermatt said.
"There aren't many such perfect days, perfect runs.
"I had the chance to experience that two years ago in the downhill in Courchevel -- when you reach the finish line and think it can't get any better.
"And that was exactly the same today. It's extremely nice to be world champion in the super-G."
Starting with bib number eight, Odermatt's performance essentially left the rest of the field to fight it out for podium places.
First out of the start hut had been Smiseth Sejersted and the Norwegian held on for bronze behind Haaser, a full second off Odermatt's devastating pace.
It was a timely result for Haaser, his sister Ricarda having sustained a cruciate ligament and medial meniscus tear in her right knee in a fall in the women's super-G on Thursday, with father Rene looking on from the stands.
Haaser's teammate Vincent Kriechmayr, who won the 2021 world super-G as part of a speed double and is currently second in World Cup super-G standings behind Odermatt, finished fourth, at 1.20sec, just ahead of Norway's Fredrik Moeller.
Defending champion James Crawford, starting with bib number 20, failed to get close to the leading times, the Canadian finishing a massive 3.41sec off Odermatt as only nine racers got within 2sec of the Swiss tyro.
Swiss hopes of a clean sweep were dashed, however, as Alexis Monney skied out, while Stefan Rogentin and Franjo von Allmen could only finish ninth and 12th respectively.
Austrian Stefan Babinsky was sixth ahead of Italy's 2019 champion Dominik Paris and American Ryan Cochran-Siegle, the reigning Olympic silver medallist in the discipline.
U. Schmidt--BTZ
