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Swiss star Odermatt bags Bansko giant slalom / Photo: Nikolay DOYCHINOV - AFP
Swiss star Odermatt bags Bansko giant slalom
Swiss skier Marco Odermatt dominated the World Cup giant slalom on the Bulgarian slopes of Bansko on Saturday to remain unbeaten in the discipline this season.
Odermatt put in a solid risk-free first run to finish 0.35sec up on Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen.
And he extended that advantage in the second run to beat Steen Olsen, who was taking his first giant slalom podium, by 0.91sec.
Austria's Manuel Feller came in third at 1.08sec.
This was Swiss master Odermatt's ninth consecutive giant win - he last failed to nail victory in the discipline when second in February 2023 at Palisades Tahoe in the United States.
"The piste was good, the conditions were good. I had fun," said the overall World Cup winner for the past two seasons.
With six out of six this season he has a perfect 600 points, a lead of 286 over Filip Zubcic, in the discipline.
And he extended his advantage in the overall standings to 822 points from Cyprien Sarrazin.
With six weeks of competition to go Odermatt is gunning to become the first man since Austrian Hermann Maier in 2001 to scoop four globes this season.
He leads the overall, super-G, giant slalom and downhill.
The first three look sure bets as long as he remains fit while he is only six points in front of France's Sarrazin as he chases his first downhill title with two races remaining.
S.Clark--SMC
