Destroyed in the first round of the giant Sölden, the Nidwalden did not feel sorry for himself at the time of the interview. He explains his fault and keeps the positive because he was able to prove that he is already fast.
Already out during the second round in the Saalbach-Hinterglemm final, Marco Odermatt now has two consecutive World Cup giants. Nothing too shocking, except that the skier from Buochs Finished 40 giants in a row in the World Cup, even achieved an incredible series of 12 victories in a row. However, the winner of three Crystal Globes does not want to be alarmed.
“It’s not a mental problem,” he admitted, calmly, a few minutes after his elimination last Sunday. “I’ve won twelve in a row so I’m ready to accept two eliminations in a row.” On the Rettenbach glacier in Sölden, the Nidwalden missed the line well ahead before going off the track with more than half a second ahead of all its rivals. “I took the risk of making a straight line, too straight. There was a little bump and he didn’t make it,” he says, not blaming the conditions. “It was easy for me to ski and I could let my skis go but I made a mistake on the inside ski on a wave, the classic move.” There is also no reason to regret a hardware issue, “perfect so far”.
“It’s already been decided”
Nor was it Loïc Meillard’s withdrawal a few minutes before the start that affected the Olympic champion. “I didn’t know he was going to forfeit it. He had to decide after the warm-up but I had already started.” On the contrary, the Nidwalden was very happy to see that some teammates have secured their entry in this 2024-2025 season, like Thomas Tumler (4th in this first round), Gino Cviensel (11th), Fadri Janutin (17th), Livio Simonet (24th) or Justin Murisier (25th). “Although I hoped for better.”
From now on, Odi will be able to prepare for the next races, which will be held for him from December 6 to 8 at Beaver Creek. What to think about until then? “Not at all. When you know that I was fast, it is positive. For me it is already decided. I even get a lot of positive things from him. So far, everything is going great.” Moreover, after the disappointment of the elimination, he found a smile again in front of the spectators who came in large numbers to see the local hero, who has since become a Dutch skier, Marcel Hirscher. “It’s not serious. Of course, I’d rather win the race, but that’s skiing. I took some risks and it didn’t work out today but I know my skiing is great.”
Laurent Morel, Sölden