Twelve Years after his former teammate Carlo Janka won the prestigious Serge Lang Trophy in 2010, Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt also achieved an impressive “hat-trick” as he has been elected “Skieur d’Or AIJS” 2022 by the member of the association several months after capturing Olympic gold in China and the overall World Cup crystal globe thanks to his remarkable 2021/22 season. This year, the AIJS Trophy will also be showcased by longtime FIS and new AIJS partner AUDI, presenting sponsor of the “Audi Alpine Ski World Cup” since the early 2000s.
Odermatt, who just turned 25 a few weeks ago, has been the dominant athlete on the men’s tour with his outstanding series of performances in giant slalom and his numerous podium finishes in Super-G and Downhill. He became the eighth Swiss champion to be awarded that prize since 1963 to equal Austria’s Marcel Hirscher and Slovenia’s Tina Maze who also collected the AIJS Serge Lang Trophy in the recent years following successful Olympic and World Cup campaigns.
A multiple FIS Junior World Champion in 2016 and 2018, Marco quickly confirmed his huge potential on the World Cup circuit afterwards, reaching his first podium at Kranjska Gora, Slovenia, in March 2019 before celebrating his maiden World Cup win a few months later in Super-G at Beaver Creek, USA. His fans expect him now to soon increase his total of 11 wins and 29 podium finishes on the major international tour. A first triumph in downhill may also occur sooner than later!
“Marco definitely is a very deserving choice by a large majority of our members who greatly enjoy his fairness and their excellent interactions during the past seasons. He is not only an astonishing champion but also wonderful role model who greatly enriches the World Cup scene,” said AIJS President Patrick Lang about Odermatt’s latest success. “We are very lucky to have the opportunity to be reporting about such a charismatic character.”
Half a dozen of other top-champions also received votes for the 2022 “AIJS Skieur d’Or” including “comeback” racer Johannes Strolz, from Austria, the 2022 combined Olympic champion in China, Swiss Beat Feuz, one of the few speed specialists having won gold at FIS Worlds, Olympics and the “Classics” downhill races at Wengen and Kitzbühel besides clinching several crystal globes in past years. Triple Olympic champion Matthias Mayer, British slalom sensation Dave Ryding, Italy’s Sofia Goggia or USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin too were named by several members of the AIJS.
Marco Odermatt is scheduled to receive the beautiful Crystal Trophy organized by FIS and created by Joska at the “FIS Forum Alpinum” held in the Oetztaler Arena at Soelden on Friday Oct. 21st in the afternoon. Members of AIJS wish Marco and all the other leaders a successful and enjoyable ski season.
Winners - “AIJS Skieur d’Or “ – Serge Lang Trophy – C. Janka (SUI) 2011 – I. Kostelic (CRO) 2012 – M. Hirscher (AUT) 2013 – T. Maze (SLO) 2014 – A. Fenninger (AUT) 2015 – A. Fenninger (AUT) & M. Hirscher (AUT) – 2016 & 2018 Marcel Hirscher - 2019 Mikaela Shiffrin (USA) – 2020 Federica Brignone (ITA) -- 2021 Alexis Pinturault (FRA).