Adelboden is the iconic place to race the giant slalom. With a sea of home fans in red – over 35,000 were partying on Saturday – the atmosphere as skiers bomb down the magical Chuenisbargli piste is akin to a wild football match.

Marco Odermatt (SUI), meanwhile, is currently close to being the perfect skier. He won here last year, achieving his childhood dream. This Saturday, though, was the ultimate marriage of venue and athlete, and perhaps Odermatt’s greatest win to date.

He put in an electric first run, but it was a mere aperitif for the second. The Swiss master looked in trouble on a number of occasions as he pushed the absolute limits, but somehow never lost velocity, and kept enough in the tank to attack the steep final section.

Henrik Kristoffersen (NOR) was left 0.73 seconds behind in second place, with Loic Meillard (SUI) third (+1.66).

“It is just amazing, crazy, I could really enjoy the race today,” said Odermatt. “After last year I knew I can win this race, and now there are these emotions.

“I knew at the start I had to push because of Henrik. As always, I had to attack the race. I was really good at the top but then two, three, four times, I was really on the limit with the inside skis, and on the edge.

«But I thought ‘I can’t go out now, I have to fight’. If you don’t risk you can’t win.”

As he held it together, the cauldron erupted. The Adelboden partisans have their hero. After watching skiers from other nations win here for so many years – particularly Marcel Hirscher of Austria – the undisputed king of the hill is now Swiss.

“You can hear it, it is unbelievable,” said Odermatt. “It’s one of the coolest races I’ve ever had. This is for sure the best place to celebrate a victory.

«The atmosphere is just amazing. Enjoy the afternoon, I hope you enjoyed the race and we did a good show for you.”

• Πηγή: https://www.fis-ski.com