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Lara Gut-Behrami and Marco Odermatt lead the overall rankings. Before the end of the season, hopes are raised that both big crystal balls could end up in Switzerland.
Legend: Both won the Super-G ball last year. Will the big one follow this year? IMAGO / NurPhoto
Marco Odermatt triumphed confidently in Bansko (BUL), a good hour later Lara Gut-Behrami, a Swiss woman, also celebrated in Soldeu (AND). Both win the giant slalom, one confidently, the other after a spectacular comeback. And: Both are in the lead in the overall World Cup. Odermatt for a long time and with a clear lead, Gut-Behrami recently and with a 5 point lead.
The last time both large crystal balls went to Switzerland was in the 1987/88 season. Pirmin Zurbriggen triumphed among the men and Michela Figini triumphed among the women. This season it could finally be that time again after 36 years, because both Swiss high-flyers are in top form.
Odermatt with a clear lead
Odermatt can hardly take his third victory in the overall World Cup in a row. The 26-year-old not only dominates in the giant slalom (600 points from 6 races), but also in the super-G and downhill. He is 822 points ahead of second-placed Cyprien Sarrazin, with Manuel Feller another 15 points behind.
14 races are still planned this winter. Because Sarrazin doesn’t do any slaloms and, with the exception of two unsuccessful attempts in Alta Badia, no giant slaloms, the Frenchman actually only has four races left to overtake Odermatt – a hopeless undertaking, and not just mathematically.
Feller still has at least 10 races, 5 each giant slalom and slalom, to get close to Odermatt. However, if the man from Nidwalden doesn’t suddenly stop scoring, that probably won’t be enough either.
Crucial weeks
Things are much tighter for women. Gut-Behrami took full advantage of Mikaela Shiffrin’s absence due to injury and took the lead with 3 wins in a row. The form is right, everything seems to be going well for the Ticino woman at the moment.
The calendar for the next few weeks also seems to suit her. With 3 downhill runs and 4 Super-G, there are 7 speed races in which Gut-Behrami can continue to shine. It is still unclear whether Shiffrin will take part in racing again in the coming weeks. But even if they do, their strengths lie more in the technical disciplines. Gut-Behrami could definitely extend her lead.
So Switzerland is still a few races and weeks away from the hoped-for double victory. But dreaming seems to be allowed – because the omens haven’t been so good for a long time.
2024-02-10 21:58:24
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