BORMIO, Italy, Feb 2 : Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt will arrive in Bormio chasing multiple Olympic gold medals but given a choice he would probably settle for standing on top of the podium after Saturday’s downhill on the iconic Stelvio course.
In the prime of his career, the 28-year-old remains the dominant force in men’s Alpine ski racing and leads the World Cup standings in the three disciplines in which he competes.
Winner of the giant slalom in Beijing four years ago, Odermatt has made no secret of adjusting his focus towards the downhill and super-G events in preparation for this month’s Milano Cortina Games.
Judging by his results this season, few would bet against him landing a golden double in the speed races.
In the six World Cup downhills this season Odermatt has won three and finished second in two, although he did miss the podium in Sunday’s final Olympic rehearsal in Crans-Montana.
He is not as dominant in super-G but still won in Kitzbuehel two weeks ago.
“The aim was to come to the Olympics with confidence and then I’ll take it race by race,” Odermatt said. “The downhill race is the most iconic event at the Winter Olympics. Of course, winning a gold medal is one of my goals.”
Odermatt and those trying to stop him, including team mate Franjo von Allmen who laid down a marker with victory in Crans-Montana, Stelvio king Dominik Paris and fellow Italian Giovanni Franzoni, begin their training runs on Wednesday.
They will need no introduction to the Stelvio – a 3.25-km brute considered one of the toughest courses in the sport.
With a 1,000 metre drop, gradients topping out at around 65 per cent and a reputation for being bumpy, icy and unforgiving, the line between risk and reward and a visit to the netting, or worse, will be a razor-thin one.
Odermatt has two super-G wins on the Stelvio but his record looks shabby compared to 36-year-old Italian Paris who in 2021 became the first man to win the same downhill six times as he beat Odermatt by 0.24 seconds down the Bormio track.
“I don’t know what it is here. I just feel good here. The willpower to go full throttle is simply an experience,” Paris said at the time. If he speeds to gold on his final Olympic fling the roars will be heard all the way back in Milan.
While Odermatt will loom over the action in Bormio, there will be many sub-plots, not least a strong Italian contingent and Norway-born Brazilian Lucas Pinheiro Braathen’s attempt to give South America its first-ever Winter Olympics medal.
He brings his unique Samba style to the technical disciplines, on and off the snow, and will be among the favourites for the giant slalom on February 14 and slalom two days later, the final men’s event.
He will have his work cut out though, not least from his former Norway team mates Atle Lie McGrath who leads the World Cup slalom standings, Timon Haugan and Henrik Kristoffersen, while France’s 28-year-old reigning Olympic champion Clement Noel will mount a tenacious defence of his title.
After Saturday’s downhill, the action continues with the team combined on February 9 – in which teams consist of one downhill skier and one slalom skier with the times of each run added together to determine the winners.
