The Albany Gazette - Odermatt continues giant slalom domination in finale

Odermatt, who won the opening giant slalom in Soelden in October, claimed his fifth victory in eight World Cup giant slaloms this winter. He finished on the podium in the other three. He also won the Olympic gold.

After his last run of the winter, Odermatt bowed to the noisy crowd.

"I started my season with a victory , I end it with a victory, it's just perfect," he said.

Odermatt finished 0.49sec ahead of the Norwegian Lucas Braathen and 0.63sec ahead of the Swiss Loic Meillard.

He was presented with the small globe for discipline champion after the race.

"To win the last race again, have those emotions after the finish line and now holding this globe is unbelievable," said Odermatt who also won the last two races of last season.

Odermatt, who has also won in the super-G and downhill this season, leads his closest rival, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde by a crushing 467 points in the overall standings with only once race left.

Odermatt will collect his first large globe as overall champion after watching the season-ending slalom, the one discipline he does not compete in.

His margin in the standings drew comparisons to Austrian great Marcel Hirscher, who won eight overall titles in a 12-year career before retiring aged 29 in 2019.

"What he did was remarkable. I'm just starting," said the 24-year-old Odermatt.

Odermatt set the best time in the first run and was solid on the second run in the sun-drenched Savoyard resort, which will host the World Championships next year with Courchevel.

(P.Werner--BBZ)