Alpine Ski World Cup
Odermatt before victory in the hundredth thriller in Kitzbühel
The Swiss Marco Odermatt is heading for his second Super-G victory in the Tyrolean ski mecca. A teammate has to admit defeat by the narrowest of margins. For Simon Jocher the journey ends quickly.
Swiss ski star Marco Odermatt is close to his eighth win of the season at the Super-G in Kitzbühel. The alpine dominator was in the lead at the start of the prestigious Hahnenkamm races after 30 of 63 riders. His teammate Franjo von Allmen was just three hundredths of a second behind, with the Austrian Stefan Babinsky third.
Simon Jocher retired after an early driving mistake and only just avoided a potentially disastrous crash. The 29-year-old is the only German speed rider who qualified for the Winter Olympics from February 6th to 22nd in northern Italy.
For Odermatt it would be the second success in Kitzbühel; he had already won the Super-G last year. The 28-year-old all-rounder is still missing a downhill victory in the ski mecca of Tyrol from his long list of successes. The race in the supreme Alpine discipline is on Saturday (11.30 a.m./ARD and Eurosport). After his appearance in the Super-G, Odermatt should start there as the favorite.
dpa