Wonderful performance by the Swiss, at the first world championship gold of his career (and the first victory in the queen discipline) beating Kilde in a smashing duel on Courchevel’s Eclypse. Alexander is bronze mocking Schwarz and his compatriot Crawford, for Florian Schieder a great 7th place just ahead of Paris. Good performance by Marsaglia up to the last intermediate stage, Casse far away.
A masterpiece on the day that mattered most, demonstrating that we are dealing with a boy who, at just 25 years of age, is already among the greatest skiers in history.
Marco Odermatt gives Switzerland the second world title of this Courchevel Méribel event, repeating Jasmine Flury’s gold in the queen race: it is the first time on a world podium for the Swiss phenomenon, but also the first downhill triumph at an absolute level , he who had always revolved around that result in the World Cup (and the same thing happened to Bassino, Crawford and Flury!).
On the Eclypse, the Buochs phenomenon is extraordinary, both in the more technical sections and in those where it was more important to let the ski slide; Aleksander Aamodt Kilde, his rival for two years now and main favorite for the gold, will pay 48 cents at the finish line, without too many regrets even if those 3 tenths left after the first intermediate led the Norwegian with a non-ideal speed in the short term center of the runway.
Second silver here in Courchevel (but also in his career at World Cup level) for AAK, but only lots of applause also for the phenomenal norge, who in turn made a void on the third classified, which is a surprise… world championship.
Be careful though, given that Cameron Alexander is a superfine talent and this year, after the summer injury, he was already finding himself at good levels, he who won almost a year ago in CdM at Kvitfjell.
Canada thus takes the podium with the man you don’t expect, given that the new super-g world champion, James Crawford, is “only” fifth at 1”01, also preceded by a sumptuous Marco Schwarz. Best career result in downhill with 4th place just 4 cents from Alexander, first of the Austrians disappointed by Kriechmayr and Hemetsberger (with Striedinger out when he was traveling for a good result).
And just two tenths from the medal, an extraordinary Florian Schieder, preceded by one cent by Muzaton (with high numbers on a track condition that seemed to be improving, especially in terms of light in the first part): the South Tyrolean, who world championship downhill two years ago in Cortina the crusader broke, he is great 7th at 1″09 with a small regret, the mistake on one of the last diagonals in the shade which cost him perhaps precisely that gap from third place, he started with the number 1 and which represents the future of the blue descent.
Dominik Paris, ten years after Schladming’s silver, didn’t go far from his third medal in a World Cup, but paid dearly for a couple of mistakes before the plan, to then hold back quite well with a good finish, 4 cents from Schieder for the eighth place ex-aequo with Miha Hrobat, with two cents on Dressen (with little training in the year of his true return, the Bavarian does a great race) and three on Kriechmayr, the reigning champion who also comes out of the top ten.
Switzerland which places its second and third athlete close behind, i.e. Murisier and Hintermann twelfth ex-aequo, ahead of Hemetsberger and a Matteo Marsaglia from 15th place. Too bad for the Piedmontese, probably at the last world championship assault 12 years after Garmisch, from the top ten comfortably up to the last intermediate, before making a clear mistake and finishing 1″53 behind Odermatt, in any case ahead of a Casse who, instead, on the Eclypse has never been at ease and, without particular mistakes, only 20th at 1″83, ahead of Johan Clarey who ended his adventure in his home World Championship here, but he will end a fantastic career with the last CdM races .
Monday will be the first rest day of these world championships, then it will be time for parallels starting from the team event.
MEN’S DOWNHILL – WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP Courchevel MERIBEL
1° Marco Odermatt in 1’47”05
2° Aleksander Aamodt Source + 0”48
3° Cameron Alexander + 0”89
4° Marco Schwarz + 0”93
5° James Crawford + 1”01
6° Maxence Muzaton + 1”08
7° Florian Schieder + 1”09
8° Miha Hrobat + 1”13
8° Dominik Paris + 1”13
10° Thomas Dressen + 1”15
15th Matteo Marsaglia + 1”53
20th Mattia Casse + 1”83
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