Sawt Falasteen - 'Perfect' Odermatt delivers super-G masterclass for third world gold

The 27-year-old, the defending world downhill and giant slalom champion, laid down a near-faultless descent of the 2.3km-long Schneekristall course, timing 1min 24.57sec for victory in brilliant sunshine.

Austrian Raphael Haaser took silver, a whole second off Odermatt, with Norway's Adrian Smiseth Sejersted claiming bronze (+1.15).

In a consummate display of aggressive skiing, Odermatt seemed to realise he had skied a winning run when he raced through into the finish area in front of 15,000 flag-waving spectators in the Austrian resort.

He pounded his chest, acknowledged the baying crowd, making his exit after having blown them a kiss.

"The run was very, very close to perfection," Odermatt said. "In super-G, it was one of, if not my best run ever.

"There aren't many such perfect days, perfect runs.

"I had the chance to experience that two years ago in the downhill in Courchevel -- when you reach the finish line and think it can't get any better.

"And that was exactly the same today. It's extremely nice to be world champion in the super-G."

Odermatt, who got faster at each of the five intermediaries, added: "Everything was perfect, a perfect run from my side, I couldn't ask for anything else, I had a good feeling from the third gate on.

"The speed did exactly what I wanted and like this you can push and you don't even feel you're over the limit, everything went so smooth, it was really fun to ski.

"To be world champion in three disciplines is amazing."

- Fight for podium places -

Starting with bib number eight, Odermatt's performance essentially left the rest of the field to fight it out for podium places.

First out of the start hut had been Smiseth Sejersted and the Norwegian held on for bronze behind Haaser, a full second off Odermatt's devastating pace.

It was a timely result for reigning world combined bronze medallist Haaser, his sister Ricarda having sustained a cruciate ligament and medial meniscus tear in her right knee in a fall in the women's super-G on Thursday, with father Rene looking on from the stands.

"She sent me a WhatsApp message last night, asking me to please give it my all and see if I can do it again like I did in Kitzbuehel," he said in reference to his second place in the super-G there last month.

Haaser's teammate Vincent Kriechmayr, who won the 2021 world super-G as part of a speed double and is currently second in World Cup super-G standings behind Odermatt, finished fourth, at 1.20sec, just ahead of Norway's Fredrik Moeller.

Smiseth Sejersted, in his fourth championships with his two World Cup podiums both coming back in December 2020, said Odermatt had cemented his credentials as "one of the best super-G skiers of all time".

"Then he skied a perfect run to win a championships by a second, he's crazy good."

Defending champion James Crawford, starting with bib number 20, failed to get close to the leading times, the Canadian finishing a massive 3.41sec off Odermatt as only nine racers got within 2sec of the Swiss tyro.

Swiss hopes of a clean sweep were dashed, however, as Alexis Monney skied out, while Stefan Rogentin and Franjo von Allmen could only finish ninth and 12th respectively.

Austrian Stefan Babinsky was sixth ahead of Italy's 2019 champion Dominik Paris and American Ryan Cochran-Siegle, the reigning Olympic silver medallist in the discipline.

The men's competition in Saalbach continues with the downhill on Sunday. A third training session will be held on Saturday.

H.Jarrar--SF-PST