Odermatt and Sarrazin ready for a new duel on the Stelvio Slope
Cyprien Sarrazin and Marco Odermatt are set to compete again during the World Cup stage in Bormio (Credits: Pentaphoto)
After the World Cup season’s speed debut in Beaver Creek, the Swiss and the Frenchman – winners on the Stelvio slope in 2023 in Super-G and Downhill respectively – are ready to face off again in Bormio, with an eye on their Milano-Cortina 2026 Olympic ambitions
In just two weeks, the Stelvio slope‘s starting gate will open for the first downhill of the FIS World Cup event in Bormio: after two days of timed training runs on December 26 and 27, December 28 will crown the new king of downhill on one of the series’ most iconic and feared slopes. The Super-G will round out the racing program on Sunday, December 29.
This edition will be even more meaningful than usual: the Olympic atmosphere is already palpable in Bormio’s air, which grows crisper each day. In less than 14 months, the Stelvio slope will be the one to deliver to history the new Olympic champions in all men’s alpine skiing disciplines (as well as ski mountaineering).
Inevitably, many have December 28 and 29 circled in red on their calendars, Marco Odermatt and Cyprien Sarrazin among them, who split the spoils evenly last season in Bormio: Super-G to the Swiss, Downhill to the Frenchman. They were clearly above the rest in speed events in the 2023-2024 season, and they will arguably be the ones to watch again at the Scala theater of speed skiing.
The Beaver Creek Super-G, during the speed opening weekend of December 6-7, already reignited their duel, with the Swiss preceding the Frenchman on the top step of the podium. They will face off next in Val Gardena and, naturally, in Bormio.
The Beaver Creek Super-G podium: from left, Cyprien Sarrazin, Marco Odermatt and Lukas Feurstein (Credits: Pentaphoto)
THE RULE OF THE STELVIO
After his DNF in Sölden’s GS, and a second place in downhill in the United States, Marco Odermatt eventually broke the ice with his first seasonal win in the Beaver Creek Super-G. For somebody accustomed to winning like Odi, the holder of the Crystal Globe in the last three seasons, it was good to get that chip off his shoulder.Â
“The Beaver Creek Super-G really suits me, because it’s very technical, but now it’s time to look ahead already,” explained the Swiss skier. “Bormio is an important crossroads, not just for this season: it will be a sort of dress rehearsal for the Olympics.”
“The Stelvio is certainly one of the most difficult slopes in the world,” Odermatt continues, “last year the icy surface made it incredibly hard. You have to stay focused from start to finish; you can’t breathe for a moment.”
Compared to the usual World Cup schedule, the Olympic races will put athletes on the Stelvio at a different time, and possibly with different snow conditions. “One year before the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, it will be the perfect opportunity to test equipment for different conditions. We can’t leave anything to chance.”
His French rival Sarrazin is also thinking about Bormio, where he won his first ever World Cup downhill last year: “It was a ‘beast’ of a day, it was when everything finally clicked for me. I will never forget that triumph on the Stelvio; taming that slope isn’t something for anybody to do. At the end of the month, we’ll return to Valtellina, and I hope to repeat my performance, aiming high in the Super-G as well.”
“I’m not sure how indicative the race will be for the Olympics, as the snow conditions in February could change everything. I think we’ll arrive at the Games with this unknown factor, making it even more exciting,” adds Sarrazin.
While awaiting the top stars of alpine skiing, the Fondazione Bormio team is working on final preparations to give the best welcome to the World Cup circus and all the ski fans, while Omar Galli’s technical team takes care of the snow surface of a slope that promises, as always, spectacular action between the Rocca and San Pietro jumps, Canalino Sertorelli, the famous Carcentina, and the final Konta wall.
Tickets to watch a weekend of pure speed live from the Bormio Tribune or the Stelvio Terrace can be purchased on the official website: https://skiworldcup.bormio.eu/
For further information:Â https://skiworldcup.bormio.eu/
Bormio (Italy), December 13, 2024
