Marco Odermatt wasn't very happy either. © ANSA / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

Angry stars: fuss over last giant slalom

The final giant slalom of the season took place in Sun Valley on Wednesday. The first run caused quite a stir.

March 26, 2025

From: det

It was obvious: The first run in Sun Valley (USA) was more of a struggle than a battle for the giant slalom stars. On a battered slope, Croatian coach Sergey Komarov had set an extremely twisting course, making it difficult for the skiers to build up speed and momentum. Even superstar Marco Odermatt, who had already secured the small giant slalom crystal globe before the race, struggled in these conditions, finishing only in 6th place.

The overall World Cup winner was not amused after the first run. "I think we're ruining our sport with runs like this. It's so slow and so much about the corners. I would set it up much more smoothly, and then it would look much nicer, also for the spectators."

Marco Schwarz had to struggle. © APA / CHRISTIAN PETERSEN

The Austrian Marco Schwarz also took part in an interview with the ORF He didn't mince his words: "It was a struggle from top to bottom. I can't quite understand why this course was set this way. But you just have to deal with everything." ORF presenter Rainer Pariasek said: "No matter which runner we spoke to, everyone complained and shook their heads about this course."

The ski aces coped best with the difficult conditions, with the extremely strong Loic Meillard finishing half a second ahead of second-placed Lucas Braathen at the halfway point. The ski aces were considerably more satisfied with the course in the second run, which was set by an Austrian coach. In the end, Meillard won ahead of Odermatt and Henrik Kristoffersen. (SportNews berichtete).