The big winner of the 2024 Val Gardena downhill is Marco Odermatt. The exceptional Swiss skier secured his first victory at the foot of the Sassolungo with a flawless run down the Saslong.
Odermatt has already stood on the podium in Val Gardena four times, but a victory has so far eluded him – until today, Saturday: in bright sunshine and perfect slope conditions, the Swiss skier put an end to his personal losing streak and left the entire competition far behind. The reigning overall World Cup winner laid the foundation for his 40th World Cup triumph with a daring ride through the infamous Ciaslat meadow, where he took a considerable amount of time out of all the speed aces.
Behind Odermatt, sensation-maker Franjo von Allmen made a Swiss one-two victory – the second consecutive one-two in the downhill – a reality. The 23-year-old, who last year in Val Gardena was the youngest athlete in the field to receive the Gianni Marzola Prize, raced to a World Cup podium for the first time in his still young career. The top three was completed by the traditionally strong American Ryan Cochran-Siegle.
Super-G winner Casse best Italian
While Nils Allegre (France), Martin Cater (Slovenia) and Stefan Eichberger (Austria) finished in fourth to sixth place, Italy's speed aces were unable to match the strong performances in the super-G. One day after his victory, Mattia Casse was once again the fastest “Azzurro” – however, the 34-year-old did not finish higher than 14th place.
The experienced South Tyroleans Dominik Paris (Ulten) and Christof Innerhofer (Gais) earned some World Cup points, but came in 25th and 27th respectively, falling short of expectations. Florian Schieder from Katelruth (44th) had to leave Val Gardena without a top-30 result.
With a daring ride from start to finish, Switzerland's Marco Odermatt won the downhill classic on the Saslong. We collected the voices of some of the protagonists after the race.
Marco Odermatt (SUI | 1st place): “Today I had a perfect race from top to bottom. I lost little time in the upper section and also mastered the many jumps well – two things that are anything but a given for me. On Ciaslat I had a clear plan that worked sensationally well for me. This victory is very special, even more so when we Swiss can once again celebrate a one-two victory. Franjo (von Allmen) is always fast – when he brings a race to the finish with his wild racing style, he can make it onto the podium anywhere.”
Franjo von Allmen (SUI | 2nd place): “I didn't do well in the super-G, but I was all the better for it today. Apart from Ciaslat, where I really messed up a lot, I actually made it to the finish without any major difficulties. Of course, I still make some mistakes – especially in places where more experience would be needed. I will work on that and see to improve continuously from race to race.”
Daniel Hemetsberger (AUT | 12th place – second-best Austrian): “I'm very relieved. Last season was really devastating for me with many disappointing results, so today is a real relief. Unlike in the last few races, I didn't go out of the start house in a state of mind – that ultimately paid off.”
Mattia Casse (ITA | 14th place): “When you're as far ahead as I was in yesterday's super-G, the expectations of yourself naturally increase. My run today wasn't that bad, but unfortunately not good enough to be at the front. However, the weekend has shown me that I can keep up with the best. This gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming races.”
Dominik Paris (ITA/Ulten | 25th place): “I didn't have a bad feeling on the slope, but as you can see, I lacked a bit of speed. I first have to analyze exactly why it didn't work out. I had high expectations today, so the result is a disappointment for me. The gap of over a second is very big – I definitely have to take back that second in Bormio.”