12/18/25 08:44:00
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12/18 08:43 CST Swiss ski star Odermatt wins World Cup downhill affected by fog
Swiss ski star Odermatt wins World Cup downhill affected by fog
VAL GARDENA, Italy (AP) --- Marco Odermatt found moments of clarity on a foggy
day in the Italian Dolomites to race to victory in a World Cup downhill on
Thursday.
A 50th career World Cup win for the Swiss generational talent came 50 days
before the opening ceremony of the Milan Cortina Olympics where Odermatt shapes
to be a star.
Odermatt rode the bumps and rolls on a shortened version of the Saslong course
to finish 0.15 seconds faster than Franjo von Allmen, the reigning world
champion. Italian veteran Dominik Paris was third, trailing by 0.19.
Sunshine lit the bottom half of the course where Odermatt, wearing bib No. 14,
was decisively fast to win a race that started 75 minutes late because of fog
shrouding the top of the course.
There was a short delay for fog minutes after No. 6 starter Von Allmen set the
fastest time and touched 129 kph (80 mph), then a longer stoppage once the
top-ranked racers completed their runs.
The race was interrupted again when No. 45 starter Fredrik Moeller had to be
airlifted from the course after crashing hard on his back while setting a fast
time that matched Odermatt.
Minutes later, using the improving light, No. 47 starter Nils Alphand
threatened a shock by leading at halfway. He placed fifth, just 0.27 back.
Victory extended Odermatt's already big lead in the overall standings chasing a
fifth straight title. He also won the season-opening downhill two weeks ago at
Beaver Creek, Colorado.
A 1-2 result for Switzerland's top speed racers is routine in World Cup
downhills. Odermatt twice won last season with Von Allmen as runner-up,
including at Val Gardena, and Odermatt was second in each of Von Allmen's two
World Cup wins.
Odermatt reached 50 World Cup wins at age 28 and tied Alberto Tomba for fourth
on the all-time men's list.
Ingmar Stenmark, the Swedish slalom and giant slalom great from the 1970s and
'80s, leads the men with 86 wins. The wins record was extended to 105 by
Mikaela Shiffrin winning a slalom on Tuesday at Courchevel, France.
Thursday's race replaced a downhill canceled by the weather this month at
Beaver Creek. Val Gardena stages a super-G on Friday then the classic Saslong
race on Saturday over the full downhill distance.
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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
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