The strong technicians Marco Odermatt and Justin Murisier are annoyed about the widening of the Kernen-S in Wengen. The two are deprived of a strength and see no reason for the change.
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- With winner Franjo von Allmen and Stefan Rogentin (3rd place), two Swiss racers ensure a ski festival on the Lauberhorn.
- Marco Odermatt finishes a disappointing 7th in the super-G in Wengen, Justin Murisier 14th.
- The two super technicians think it's a shame that the key passage in the Kernen-S has been changed.
Marco Odermatt finishes seventh in the super-G in Wengen. What would be a great result for most racers in the World Cup is a disappointment for the overall World Cup winner: "There aren't many positives, but it's far from a disaster." He will take the few points with him, but it is certainly not a perfect result.
In an interview after the race, Odermatt, who already has three victories and seven podium places to his name in Wengen, said: "I still need to analyze things properly, the feeling certainly wasn't perfect. I couldn't really close the radius in Brüggli. In Langentreien, too, there was too much shifting and pushing."
More space on the Kernen-S
A key section in Wengen gave plenty to talk about before today's race: The Kernen-S. In this section, the athletes have a little more space and the slope has been widened. Odermatt explains how he wanted to ski the section: "My plan was not to use the extra space too much and to try a narrower line. It pushed me harder than I wanted to."
When asked whether it was a mortal sin to change such a key passage in this way, the man from Nidwalden replied: "A mortal sin is a bit of an exaggeration, but it's a similar issue to the entrance to the traverse in Kitzbühel, which is no longer the same as it has been for the last 20, 30 or 50 years. In that respect, it's a shame. But it doesn't make a huge difference."
Murisier finds clear words
The 40-year-old veteran Christof Innerhofer is also not happy: "I preferred it the way it was before, because you could see more of the skiers' class there. I think we all still remember how Carlo Janka used to ski the Kernen-S."
Odermatt's teammate Justin Murisier, who finished the race in 14th place, chose clearer words: "This passage has a history, I think it should be left as it is. We've seen in other years that it's possible," said the technically strong Murisier, who will be deprived of a strength with the widening of the Kernen-S: "I see no reason why we should try different things here now," said the 33-year-old.
Murisier will get his next chance in the downhill tomorrow, Saturday. The man from Valais won the downhill in Beaver Creek in December and is now also a better glider. Murisier explains: "I used to stand far too wide and have learned to release earlier. I'll never be the best in the world in these passages, but keeping up is my goal. Then I can make up time in the technical sections."
We will find out tomorrow at 12:30 pm when the Lauberhorn downhill begins how well he manages to do this and whether Odermatt will take victory number 4 in Wengen.
