Marco Odermatt won the Giant Slalom in Palisades Tahoe to remain undefeated. Henrik Kristoffersen finished in second place +0.12 seconds behind Odermatt. River Radamus rounded out the podium 1.37 seconds off the pace. It's the 35th World Cup victory for the Overall leader.
The 26-year-old Swiss has won every Giant Slalom this season: Val d'Isère, Alta Badia (2), Adelboden, Schladming, Bansko, and now Palisades. Odermatt is the second male skier to win each of the opening seven World Cup Giant Slalom events of a season. Only Ingemar Stenmark (all 10 in 1978-1979) has had a longer winning streak from the beginning of a season in Men's World Cup Giant Slalom.
Odermatt finished on the podium in each of his last 24 starts in World Cup Giant Slalom races (including 19 wins), since an 11th place in Lenzerheide on March 20, 2021.
The Swiss superstar has won each of the ten Men's World Cup Giant Slalom events, since Marco Schwarz was victorious in Palisades Tahoe on February 25, 2023. This is the second-longest winning streak in Giant Slalom, after a run of 14 by Ingemar Stenmark from 1978 to 1980.
With his victory today, and a lead of over 1000 points over Manuel Feller, who is now second, Odermatt also secured the Overall Crystal Globe.
Marco Odermatt won the Overall Crystal Globe for the third time in his career, after having won it in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023.
"That was very, very close, the hundredths were definitely on my side today. I didn't have the best feeling and knew that I had to push again at the end. Luckily it worked out. Extremely cool, I’m over the moon that it worked for the third time. Even if it doesn't feel like an overall World Cup victory today. The goal is to see this through to the end. I want to win every race, that's the goal", Odermatt said.
For Kristoffersen is his second podium of the season the first one in Giant Slalom. He finished in third place in the Slalom in Wengen.
"For us, it was 100 percent a step in the right direction. Of course, Marco is on a big roll. We tried to bring him down from this roll and it was tight today, but that's life and he's an amazing skier", Kristoffersen said.
26-year-old River Radamus achieved today in Palisades Tahoe its first podium in the Alpine Ski World Cup. Until today, a fourth place in Adelboden on January 6, 2024, had been his best result.
"It's been a long time coming. I've wanted to feel what this moment feels like for so long and I've just kept working and working and working. Sometimes I thought it would never come, but doing it on home soil, in front of all my friends and family and such an amazing American crowd, it just means everything to me", Radamus said.
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