Odermatt Wins Super-g At Copper Mountain As Kilde’s Return Leaves Shiffrin In Tears

Swiss skis prima Marco Odermatt started nan World Cup super-G play pinch a Thanksgiving triumph astatine Copper Mountain connected Thursday, while Aleksander Aamodt Kilde reduced fiancée Mikaela Shiffrin to tears by making his comeback aft astir 2 years out.

Odermatt has already won nan opening elephantine slalom – astatine Sölden successful nan Austrian Alps past period – successful what is an ominous commencement to nan play by nan world’s champion men’s skier starring up to nan Milan Cortina Olympic Games successful February.

The Colorado people is hosting men’s World Cup races for conscionable nan 2nd time, aft 1975-76, and it was nan shape for different beardown tally by Odermatt, who still needed to dress up clip successful nan last conception to overhaul Vincent Kriechmayr and triumph by 0.08 seconds.

It denied Austria a cleanable sweep, pinch Raphael Haaser a further 0.05 backmost successful 3rd and Stefan Babinsky successful finishing fourth.

Odermatt, nan defending wide champion, has won nan crystal globe for nan season-long title successful super-G for nan past 3 years.

For overmuch of that time, Kilde – nan 2020 wide champion and victor of 21 World Cup races – has been connected nan sidelines because of nan effects of injuries sustained successful a horrifying downhill crash successful January 2024.

Nearly 700 days later, Kilde was backmost racing – and it was each excessively overmuch for Shiffrin, nan US skiing great, who was successful nan crowd and weeping arsenic he crossed nan statement 1.25 seconds adrift of Odermatt.

The 33-year-old Kilde coiled up tied for 24th spot and was fixed a large hug by nan affectional Shiffrin minutes aft getting down nan hill. She later took a photograph of Kilde pinch Odermatt, who was congratulating nan Norwegian connected his return to competition.

Kilde underwent surgery for a terrible trim and nervus harm successful his correct calf and 2 torn ligaments successful his enarthrosis aft nan clang astatine nan classical Lauberhorn downhill successful Wengen. He has since said his limb will ne'er beryllium nan aforesaid again and that location is constricted successful activity successful his shoulder.

Given that backdrop, it was an encouraging show by Kilde connected a people that is good known to astir of nan velocity racers because it’s been frequented arsenic a training tract by each of nan apical teams successful caller years.

It was nan first of 9 super-Gs successful a play interrupted by nan Olympics. Beaver Creek successful nan United States hosts nan 2nd title adjacent month.

It was a 47th World Cup triumph for Odermatt, and his 16th successful super-G.

According to nan International Ski and Snowboard Federation, it was Odermatt’s 26th podium decorativeness successful super-G, tying him for 3rd spot pinch Norway’s Kjetil Jansrud connected nan men’s all-time database down Hermann Maier and Aksel Lund Svindal.