Men's giant slalom at world championships - three things to watch / Photo: Dimitar DILKOFF - AFP
NYSE - LSE
Men's giant slalom at world championships - three things to watch
Reigning world and Olympic champion Marco Odermatt will look to extend the Swiss men's dominance at the World Ski Championships in the giant slalom in Saalbach on Friday.
Odermatt won the super-G in the Austrian resort last week, a victory that was quickly emulated by Franjo Von Allmen in the downhill. Von Allmen then partnered Loic Meillard to a third team gold -- from three possible -- in the combined event on Thursday.
AFP Sports looks at three things to watch:
- King Odi, hunting double -
Odermatt won the downhill and giant slalom titles in Courchevel/Meribel in 2023 and has established himself as leader of a strong Swiss team that also includes Alexis Monney, Stefan Rogentin and double gold medal winner Von Allmen.
Odermatt laid down what he himself called a perfect run to win the super-G in Saalbach.
"It's the one gold medal that was missing and now to have this one also in my pocket is another dream come true," the 27-year-old said.
"I'm just happy to be here, healthy and be in good shape."
Odermatt opted to sit out the team combined, in which Switzerland enjoyed a historic cleansweep of the podium to save himself for the GS.
- Norway's Attacking Vikings -
The Norwegian team will take some succour in the fact that at the last World Cup giant slalom race before these championships, they outgunned Odermatt.
Alexander Steen Olsen triumphed ahead of Henrik Kristoffersen in Schladming, with the Swiss rounding out the podium.
The pair sit behind Odermatt in the World Cup standings, with teammates Atle Lie McGrath and Timon Haugan both also capable of pushing for a medal.
"I'm not going to hold anything back in any of the races because I'm still going to be top seven in both technical disciplines after these world champs," said Kristoffersen, who won GS gold at the 2019 Are worlds.
"What else apart from the three top steps matters? It's nothing else that matters."
Kristoffersen added that he was satisfied to be the underdog, with "everyone kind of writing me off a little bit".
"Proving everybody wrong. I think that's one of the best feelings in the world, to be honest."
Steen Olsen said he hoped his Schladming win "can give me that extra little confidence".
"But it doesn't affect my mental state too much. I need to focus on skiing and not too much about expectations, and then I think it can be a good day."
- Braathen brings samba -
The 24-year-old is back and not for Norway, but the homeland of his mother, Brazil.
Born in Oslo to a Norwegian father and Brazilian mother, Pinheiro Braathen spent time in South America as a child after his parents separated.
Falling out with the Norwegian ski federation over sponsorship rights, Pinheiro Braathen stepped away from the World Cup circuit in the 2023-24 season before returning under the Brazilian flag.
In his sixth season, he won five World Cup races for Norway, while this season he has bagged a second-placed giant slalom finish in Beaver Creek.
That followed a fourth place at the season opener in Soelden. Further GS results include 12th in Schladming and 22nd in Alta Badia, but he failed to finish in both Val d'Isere and Adelboden.
"It's still unbelievable for me to come to these beautiful Alps all around the world and the flag that I feel stands out the most is the bright South American colours," Pinheiro Braathen said.
The Brazilian clearly sees Odermatt as the man to beat, posting a photo of the Swiss racer -- with a freshly shaven head -- and adding: "I hope this haircut doesn't make Odermatt any faster."
R.Verbruggen--JdB
