Odermatt wins first gold ever at worlds
Competing with an elegance that makes the sport look easy. Technically brilliant. Highly successful. Humble. And Swiss.
Marco Odermatt has plenty in common with Roger Federer.
The smooth and fluent run that earned Odermatt gold in the men’s downhill at the Alpine skiing world championships by a large margin prompted French veteran Johan Clarey to label him the Roger Federer of skiing.
“Roger did way bigger things then I do,” Odermatt said. ”(But) like Roger, for me it’s very important to be a humble guy. To not just kill for the victory, to have big respect for all the other athletes. And I think this is what Roger (did).”
Big mutual respect can also characterize the season-long rivalry between Odermatt and Aleksander Aamodt Kilde of Norway.
“It’s easy. If a guy is faster, you just have to respect it, then congratulate,” Odermatt said.
On Sunday, Kilde finished 0.48 behind Odermatt in Courchevel, France, to collect another silver after also finishing second in super-G.
“It’s a fun battle,” the Norwegian said. “It’s fun because we are so (nice) and we are humble, decent people. We’re trying to do it in a good way. Fighting against Odermatt is always a joy. It brings a smile on my face more than anything. So that’s cool.”
Kilde, the pre-race favorite who won five World Cup downhills this season, smiled and hugged Odermatt in the finish area after being beaten.
“When someone delivers a run like Odermatt did today, then it’s just hats off and just respect it,” Kilde said.
Watched by 13,000 spectators, lots of them waving Swiss flags, ringing cow bells, and blowing air horns, Odermatt ended his four-year wait for a world championship medal in impressive style and let out a few screams after posting the fastest time.
“It was definitely something I’d never felt before, this scream at the finish,” said Odermatt. “Also, those two minutes during Alex’s run, I was shaking all over my body like never before.”
Odermatt had not won a medal in eight previous starts at senior world championships, after winning five golds at the 2018 junior worlds.
He had also never won a top-level downhill before, though he has been runnerup in seven World Cup races.