Alpine ski world: Marco Odermatt wins gold in descent test, Blues are missing podium

The 25 -year -old Swiss won his first world title in Courchevel on Sunday, ahead of the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde and the Canadian Cameron Alexander.

by Valentin Moinard

He had passed very close to the podium by taking fourth place in the super-G on Thursday. Three days later, Marco Odermatt finally held his first world medal. And it is not just any color. Sunday, February 12, the Swiss skier won the title in descent at the World Championships in Courchevel (Savoie), by ahead of the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of 48 hundredths and the Canadian Cameron Alexander of 89 hundredths.

⛷ #CourchevelMéribel2023 | Monstrous Marco Odermatt 🇨🇭! The Swiss flew in this track of the Eclipse, it established… https://t.co/hrdtukrz0m

– Francetvsport (@francetvsport)

“It’s incredible, my round was perfect, I took risks, the equipment worked well. I may want to catch up with the disappointment of the super-G. I was a little sad, even if It was still a solid race, “said the Swiss, all smiles at the microphone of France TV Sport, a few minutes after passing the finish line.

At 25, Marco Odermatt finally won a world title, he who has already become Olympic champion of giant slalom in 2022, in Beijing. Paradoxically, it was on the race where he was the least awaited in Courchevel that he seized this medal. Specialist in technical tests, Odermatt had never earned the slightest descent of his career (eight podiums until then). He rectified the title to the best moments, by winning it quite widely, left with the bib 10.

This gold medal thus enjoys the already well -stocked list of Switzerland. After winning the big crystal globe – rewarding the winner of the Ski World Cup – the 2021-2022 season, he continues to chain victories this winter. In the World Cup, he had won four times in super-G and four times in giant slalom since the start of the season. 2>

Maxence Muzaton fell in the final

On the other hand, the disappointment is to put in the tricolor clan in this descent test. For his last world championships, the veteran of the circuit, Johan Clarey (42), failed to play with the best and finished far from the podium (18 e , at 1 second 89 hundredths ).

It is, on the other hand, passed nearby for Maxence Muzaton. Dibs 24 on the back, he went out in the first three intermediaries before cracking down the track and finally finishing sixth, with 1 second and 8 hundredths late. He only missed two tenths to get on the podium.

“I am happy, I wanted to do a round without regret. Bottom, I drew physically, I gave everything on the top and I lacked lucidity a little at the end,” conceded the skier of 32 years old at France TV Sport. The Blues therefore remain of two medals at the moment in these Worlds which are completed on February 19, all won by Alexis Pinturault (gold in combined, and bronze in super-G).

/Media reports cited above.