The die is cast, and the champions have the crystal globes in their display cases. This year’s overall champions in women’s and men’s competitions are more than worthy of the prize because they embody the very spirit of the Big Crystal Globe: the crystal-clear focus, consistency, and love for the sport.
Federica Brignone, The Tigress From Lombardy
In Renaissance Italy, noble women who found themselves in a position of power were given names of fierce female animals. The Snow Tiger from Milan would fit in such a time. Federica debuted as a 17-year-old in the 2007/2008 season in German Odterschrank, where she did not finish. But two years later, she got her first podium in American Aspen. Since then, Federica has been an all-rounder, but later, she specialized more in the speed disciplines and her parade discipline, giant slalom.
During her astonishing 18 racing seasons, she acquired two overall titles, two giant slalom titles, one downhill title, one super-G title, and one alpine combined title. With 85 podiums, 37 wins, 3 Olympic and 5 World Championship medals, she is the most successful Italian woman alpine skier of all time.
Federica is known for her aggressive style, lack of fear, and constant smile. Brignone seems to radiate energy not only at the start but also in the finish area.
She comes from a skiing family and started skiing early on. As she loved all sports, she fell in love with skiing and speed as a kid and still remembers the first pair of Rossignol skis she got. They had green dragons plastered on each tip. Even as her parents supported her, in many interviews, Federica mentioned that she never felt pushed to perform. She herself wanted to race and win and needed the freedom to do it on her own.
At 34, Brignone is one of the oldest women to win on the World Cup circuit, yet we have not heard any rumors about ending her amazing career. The Italian women’s team is closely knit, and she still has much to give to her younger teammates. So, let us hope that the Snow Tiger will go on chasing titles next season.
Marco Odermatt, From a Promising Youngster To a True Team Leader
The king of this season is much less seasoned than the queen. Not many years have passed since we called him the aspiring youngster. He made his debut in the 2018 season as an 18-year-old, and he did so in style, getting his first World Cup podium in his only second season, in 2019, in the giant slalom in Kranjska Gora. Since then, he has steadily climbed to the top spots, winning his first race in Beaver Creek in December 2019.
In his only third World Cup season, Odermatt was giving the champion Alexis Pinturault (FRA) a hard time. The overall title was decided in the Frenchman’s favor on the final weekend.
After that, Odermatt did not let anyone place at the top, gaining four consecutive overall titles, four giant slalom titles, three super-G titles, and two downhill titles.
As a promising youngster, Marco’s parade discipline was giant slalom, yet he had always loved the downhill best.
Like Brignone, he also represents the positive force in the World Cup. He mostly smiles and cheers his teammates, creating an atmosphere of friendly rivalry with his competitors. He also had his share of injuries, hurting his knee during the breakthrough season in 2019 and suffering from a painful inflammation in his shin that only the carbon shin guards helped him overcome.
Odi, as the fans call him, is known not only for his light, precise, and high-speed skiing. Over time, he built a reputation as the merry guy in the circuit, not just for the wild parties but also for cheering his teammates.
He supports his friends no matter what, remaining in the finish area even in the rare case of an unsuccessful run of his own. As youngsters like Franjo Von Allmen and Alexis Monney chase him, he appreciates them. And as his older teammates like Justin Murisier, Stefan Rogentin, Thomas Tumler, and Gino Caviezel were there for him before he became a superstar, he is there for them with words of praise and appreciation now.
There are only a few milestones Marco Odermatt can strive for in the coming seasons. He sure misses the Kitzbühel downhill victory, Olympic super-G, and downhill medals.
But winning glory in famous races is one thing; being consistent season after season is a different matter. Patiently collecting points and finding motivation while breaking records takes mental strength, which the audience sometimes fails to notice. That is the true achievement we are looking for.
Odermatt’s luck is that he has such a fantastic team around him. But as we watched him literally jumping for joy as his teammates broke records during the World Championships, perhaps “luck” is not a good expression.
