WENGEN, Switzerland (AP) — It surely ranked among the best and most joyous five minutes in alpine skiing history for the Swiss men's team and fans at the race they prize above all.
Marco Odermatt, the 27-year-old superstar of men’s skiing, raced down the longest and quirkiest World Cup downhill course to edge teammate Franjo von Allmen for victory in the classic Lauberhorn race.
As Odermatt waited at the start gate, the 23-year-old Von Allmen delighted a noisy crowd of 40,000 with the latest standout display of his breakout season to set the fastest time, one day after getting his first World Cup win in a super-G.
Odermatt would not be denied on a near-perfect day for downhill racing on fast, hard snow under sunshine and blue skies in temperatures of 2 C at the finish.
“This is my house!” Odermatt declared in English on seeing he was 0.37 seconds faster than Von Allmen. Third-place Miha Hrobat was 0.57 back after setting a fast target as the first starter. The result was unofficial with low-ranked skiers yet to race.
Cameron Alexander of North Vancouver, B.C., was fifth while Toronto's James Crawford finished ninth. Crawford was fourth in the super-G event Friday while Alexander was eighth.
"It feels really good to put one down at one of the classics," said Alexander. "It's funny, I scored my first World Cup points ever here in Wengen five years ago and that was the best I’d ever done here in the downhill.
"I've skied fast here in the past but there was always a little mistake or something so today’s fifth feels great."
The celebration was a shoutout to Daniel Yule, Odermatt said later of his Swiss teammate with British parents who said the same on winning a slalom at nearby Adelboden in 2020.
Von Allmen then hugged Odermatt and shared exuberant smiles as he gave up his seat in the courseside leader’s box to his good friend.
Wengen is fast becoming Odermatt’s house, after winning both downhills on the course one year ago and being runner-up behind Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in the two previous years. Kilde is skipping this season to recover from injuries suffered crashing near the finish at Wengen last year.
“It’s the most important race for me this year,” Odermatt told Swiss broadcaster RTS of the Lauberhorn downhill now in its 95th year. It is a standout event in Switzerland’s sports and social calendar.
“It’s super cool. Today the skiing is perfect, the course, the snow. The feeling on my feet was fantastic,” said the three-time defending overall World Cup champion who extended his lead in the standings.
The snow conditions set up for fast skiing and Italian veteran Dominik Paris was clocked at 154.99 kph (96 mph) on the straight Haneggschuss section two minutes into the run. It was there in 2013 that Johan Clarey of France set the World Cup record speed of 161.9 kph (100.6 mph). Paris finished fourth.
Still, the 4.45-kilometers (2¾-mile) course that twists beneath the Eiger, Jungfrau and Mönch mountain peaks is always tiring and two-time Lauberhorn winner Vincent Kriechmayr crashed hard into safety fences before the final turn.
Kriechmayr stood up and later was seen limping with what seemed a right leg injury. French racer Blaise Giezendanner was airlifted from the course after crashing midway down his run.
Odermatt also leads the downhill standings from Von Allmen who has been runner-up in three straight downhills.
In a discipline where racers often peak in their 30s, Von Allmen shapes already as an elite racer in just his second year competing at Wengen. He placed 14th last year in both of Odermatt's wins.
Von Allmen was saluted in the finish area by International Ski Federation president Johan Eliasch, who also owns the Head ski brand the Swiss prospect uses.
Swiss men have now placed 1-2 in all four World Cup downhills this season. Odermatt has won two, with Justin Murisier and Alexis Monney winning the others.
“It’s incredible, you have to give it to them,” Eliasch said. “The dominance in speed across the board is something for everybody else to aspire to.”
Austria’s classic race is next Saturday for the downhillers, the Hahnenkamm at Kitzbühel that is a shorter course than Wengen but the most feared.
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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing
The Associated Press
