Marco Odermatt heads full throttle into ski season

By Published On: October 26th, 2016Comments Off on Marco Odermatt heads full throttle into ski season

If you call yourself a World Cup skiing fan, it’s time to get to know Marco Odermatt. The Swiss skier won the Junior World Championship giant slalom last season, and at his first World Cup opener on Oct. 23., he skied to 17th place from bib 53.

Not only did he make a huge leap in the results, he was also the youngest athlete in the top 30 by about three years. The next youngest athlete was Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen, who was born in 1994 and finished in eighth at Soelden. Not even Odermatt could believe how fast he skied down the Rettenbach Glacier.

“At first, I had to assure that the number 12 on the monitor was really my rank,” he said of his first run performance. “When I realized this, I was incredibly happy.”

SOELDEN,AUSTRIA,23.OCT.16 - ALPINE SKIING - FIS World Cup season opening, Rettenbachferner, giant slalom, men. Image shows Marco Odermatt (SUI). Keywords: Stoeckli. Photo: GEPA pictures/ Daniel Goetzhaber

The young gun, who turned 19 earlier this month, had only started in one other World Cup before. In fact, up to this point, Odermatt has only started in five European Cup races and has never cracked the top 30 on the results sheet in those events.

How did he land on the World Cup? His Junior World Championship win in Sochi, Russia last March launched him into the spotlight and earned him a spot in the giant slalom at World Cup Finals, where he finished in 22nd.

At Soelden, he simply imagined that he was at the start of a FIS race and tried to ski like he had been in training in Diavolezza. At the same time, Odermatt couldn’t hold back, saying he knew he had to ski “full throttle.”

“I knew that if I could show a good run, I could make the leap to the first 30,” he said. “That, however, I’m so close to the top 15, I did not expect.”

Even after his impressive performance at the elite level, Odermatt’s focus remains on the European Cups this season.

“The focus is on the European Cup, and this will continue to be the major target,” he shared. “There I will gain a foothold in this year and go all the way. Also, I have to defend a title at the Junior World Championships.”

Next up for Odermatt is a training block.

“I returned to the Sportmittelschule Engelberg,” he said. “There are two to three weeks of training on the plan before the season continues.”

After that, he may head to the World Cup races in Beaver Creek or the European Cups in Sweden, but as he said, the decision is “still written in the stars” and yet to be known. He will be able to defend his Junior World Championship title in Are, Sweden in March 2017.

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About the Author: Gabbi Hall

A California native, Gabbi moved to Vermont to ski on the NCAA circuit for St. Michael’s College, where she served as team captain and studied journalism. Before joining Ski Racing, she worked as a broadcast TV producer and social media manager in higher education. She can be reached via email at gabbi@skiracing.com