Due to the terrible fall of the Norwegian Aleksander Aamodt Kilde on the prestigious Lauberhorn descent in Wengen, the triumphant hussar ride of Marco Odermatt was pushed into the background. The Swiss is in top form and now wants the really big coup – victory on the Streif.
“After the success in Wengen, a victory in Kitzbühel is my biggest dream,” said the 26-year-old in an interview with “Sport Bild”. He knows “how difficult it is” to conquer the myth of Streif as the fastest. “But I also know how good I am at the moment and how close I am to this victory. In Kitzbühel I was only a hundredths short so far.”
Last year, Odermatt almost fell due to a bump in the Hahnenkamm race and only finished in 54th place. He achieved his best Streif result in 2022 when he came second in the victory of his compatriot Beat Feuz.
Odermatt is in outstanding shape this season. The Swiss has already won seven races (in giant slalom, super-G and downhill), confidently leads the overall World Cup and is also ahead in the discipline rankings downhill, super-G and giant slalom.
Ski star Odermatt: Roger Federer “the greatest athlete of all time”
One of the secrets of his success is his mental strength, said Odermatt. “I started really, really early, almost as a child. That’s how I learned the right rituals,” said the ski star. He meets with a mental trainer three to four times a year.
In addition, the summers are “very intense for me compared to others. I also train with high weights,” said Odermatt, giving an insight into his preparation for the season. “I do the barbell cleans with 130 kilograms, the snatch with 95 and deep squats with 170.”
The hard work pays off. In Wengen, the longest descent on the calendar, “Hercules” Odermatt held his perfect line until the end, winning ahead of his French rival Cyprien Sarrazin.
Thanks to his successes, Odermatt is one of the greatest sports heroes in Switzerland after Roger Federer’s resignation. The ski racer said he had already met the tennis legend a few times. “For me, he is the greatest athlete of all time – worldwide. So the awe is still great. But it gets looser and more fun with every meeting.”