SÖLDEN, Austria (AP) — Olympic giant slalom champion Marco Odermatt dominated the first run of the season-opening men’s World Cup race Sunday.
The Swiss skier had a near-flawless run on the steep glacier in the Austrian Alps to build a lead of more than four-tenths of a second over second-place Lucas Braathen of Norway.
Odermatt won the race last year for the first of his five GS victories on the road to his first overall title.
Norway’s Braathen, who triumphed in the traditional season opener in 2020, had .41 seconds to make up in the second run. The rest of the field, led by Zan Kranjec of Slovenia, was at least .69 behind Odermatt.
“Only half of the job is done,” Odermatt said. “I hope the second run goes just as well. I was way more relaxed coming here than in previous seasons.”
Henrik Kristoffersen was the only racer other than Odermatt to win a World Cup giant slalom last season, but the Norwegian had a costly mistake coming onto the flats and finished .95 off the lead.
In a remarkable move, Kristoffersen switched his ski equipment in the offseason, leaving his long-term supplier Rossignol to join the new Van Deer-Red Bull brand founded by his former rival Marcel Hirscher, the record eight-time overall champion who retired three years. ago.
River Radamus was the leading contender for the US ski team. A year after getting a sixth career-best at this race, Radamus posted the 11th time in the opening run, trailing Odermatt by 1.37.
The race took place in sunny conditions under blue skies, a day after the women’s race was canceled due to rain and wet snow.
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