Marco Odermatt has won the downhill on the Lauberhorn for the third time, equaling Beat Feuz's tally of victories. The 27-year-old explains that he learned a lot from Feuz and has a lot to thank him for.
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- Marco Odermatt wins the downhill at the Lauberhorn for the third time.
- The overall World Cup winner thus equals Beat Feuz's mark, but there are still a few skiers who have won the legendary downhill more often.
- Franjo von Allem is the next Swiss ski star to follow. Among other things, he benefits from Odermatt, but also from the good Swiss promotion of young talent.
Marco Odermatt continues to make history. In Wengen, he wins the legendary downhill race for the third time and, at the age of 27, already has as many downhill victories on the Lauberhorn as Beat Feuz or Franz Klammer: "To have as many victories here as Beat is of course very, very nice. I've learned so much from him in recent years," explains Odermatt in the finish area.
The record downhill winners at the Lauberhorn
- Karl Molitor (SUI): 6 victories
Karl Schranz (AUT) and Toni Seiler (AUT): 4 victories each
Beat Feuz (SUI), Franz Klammer (AUT), Rudolf Graf (SUI) and Marco Odermatt (SUI): 3 victories each
Odermatt owes a lot to Beat Feuz, who retired in Wengen almost exactly two years ago: "He showed me the whole sport of downhill skiing, how it works, where you can ski how fast. It's great to have as many victories here as he did and to be able to pass on my know-how to the youngsters again."
But Odermatt himself had something to learn this weekend. The material didn't work as desired on Friday: "We made a mistake yesterday. I drove something different than the theory says for here. I still thought I had to give it a go, even today." It wasn't that he wanted to sacrifice the Super-G, but it was important to learn what was out of the question today: "It was worth it," beams Odermatt.
Good support and a great atmosphere
It is obvious that Odermatt is passing on his knowledge when you look at the rankings. After all, another Swiss skier, 23-year-old Franjo von Allmen, is right at the top today. After winning the super-G on Friday, von Allmen is in second place today, directly behind Odermatt.
For the man from Bern, the strong Swiss ski team is no coincidence: "We owe a lot to the promotion of young talent, you can see that the system works and that young people are always coming up. I think it's a good sign. Respect for the work they are doing."
Justin Murisier highlights another strength of Swiss-Ski: "Every team dreams of having a team like this. We have a great atmosphere with lots of young people who push each other. Although it's an individual sport, we live as a team."
Sleeping like a baby
Super-G winner von Allmen had a lot to digest on Friday: "There were a lot of emotions yesterday, I had a lot to take in. I tried to soak up the energy that was there yesterday, including from the crowd, and deliver again today."
However, the 23-year-old didn't have any trouble processing the emotions. "I slept like a baby. I put in earplugs, only the bass from the party was still audible, but otherwise I slept really well. I started today feeling refreshed."
