It may sound a bit arrogant, but I crossed the finish line and knew it couldn't actually be any better
No, Marco, it does not sound arrogant, as yesterday’s run could not have been better, but let us return to the beginning.
Men’s Super-G Review
The weather was once more perfect, and the tricky track was pristine. Just the ideal amount of ice sparkled on the surface as the sun shone, and the track held even for the higher numbers. Once again, the terrain showed its teeth. As in the women’s super-G (although men and women race on different courses), there were many blind gates and rollers. The terrain was tricky, and the course setters from Austria did not have to place challenging turns on the track to make it worthy of a World Champion.
The many rollers have such an effect that steeper parts (with a blind gate behind almost every next roller) take turns with flat sections very swiftly. Thus, the racers were alert in the steeper sections, but than as the flat section came they did not get into the tuck in time and lost speed.
This track demanded three things from its conqueror: focus, careful course inspection, and immense self-confidence. You could see the last part lacking in the body language of even the most experienced skiers, like James Crawford, the super-G World Champion from 2023.
Adrian Smiseth Sejersted (NOR) skied with bib number 1 and remained in the leader’s chair until Marco Odermatt finally deposed him with bib number 8. This was a great success for this Norwegian, who only has two World Cup podiums from the 2021 season and has struggled lately.
Marco Odermatt put all those ingredients for victory together in his run. He found the straightest possible line, remained in the tuck when all the others were standing, and did not let the blind gates and rollers mess up his mind, and when he crossed the finish line, everybody saw that it could not be any better. Nobody was better, and nobody came even close.
Only Raphael Haaser, to the immense joy of the Austrian fans, squeezed between Odermatt and Sejersted but had 1 entire second gap on the leader.
So, there it was: Odermatt, with a one-second gap, and then the others. Raphael Haaser was fifteen hundredths faster than Sejersted, and the Norwegian held onto the bronze until the end.
But the rest of the top 10 were so matched in their results that even the performance on the last jump decided the final rank.
Fourth came Vincent Kriechmayr (AUT), whose coach said in the pre-race interview that Vincent was in some pain after the injury but ready to race. Maybe he was too ready, as this track could have suited his style, but the expectation of the home fans was too great. It showed in the post-race interview when Kriechmayr, finishing fourth (coming back after a scary crash), apologized to the fans for disappointing them.
But the Austrians have no cause to be disappointed. So far, they have one gold medal and one silver medal, which places them on the same level as the Swiss, where the expectations were indeed higher. But one must say that the Austrians deserve that not only for the perfect organization but also for the fair and just behavior of the fans, who create a fantastic atmosphere for every single racer.
