Marco Odermatt secured the Giant Crystal Globe in Aspen on March 1st. He was again the absolute dominator of the discipline. He is the reigning Olympic Champion, World Champion, and World Cup winner in the Men's Giant Slalom for the third consecutive time.
Odermatt (2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024) became the third Swiss male skier to win the Giant Slalom World Cup standings at least three times, after Michael von Grüningen (4) and Pirmin Zurbriggen (3).
The 26-year-old Swiss has competed in ten Men's Giant Slalom World Cup events this season and won nine (Val d'Isère, Alta Badia (2), Adelboden, Schladming, Bansko, Palisades Tahoe, and Aspen (2). Only Ingmar Stenmark (10 in 1978-1979) has won more Giant Slalom races in a single season.
Marco Odermatt did not finish the second run at the 2024 Finals. The last time the Swiss DNF a Giant Slalom race was in Beaver Creek in December 2019. Until Saalbach Odermatt has finished on the podium in all of his last 26 World Cup starts in the Giant Slalom, including 21 victories. In all disciplines, only Ingemar Stenmark had such a run in World Cup history as he recorded a podium result in 37 consecutive World Cup starts in the Giant Slalom from March 1977 to December 1981.
Loic Meillard broke the winning streak of his teammate. Meillard hands Odermatt his first Giant Slalom defeat since he finished runner-up to Marco Schwarz, by only 0.03 seconds in Palisades Tahoe on February 25, 2023.
Odermatt was the second skier - male or female - to have won at least 12 successive World Cup events in a specific discipline after Ingemar Stenmark won 14 in the Men's Giant Slalom between 1978 and 1979.
With 23 wins Odermatt is joint-fourth in the all-time list for most Men's World Cup Giant Slalom victories, alongside Michael von Grünigen (23). Ingemar Stenmark (46), Marcel Hirscher (31), and Ted Ligety (24) are the top three.
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