Breaking Maier's ski record leaves Odermatt too 'empty' to party

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Breaking Maier's ski record leaves Odermatt too 'empty' to party / Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU - AFP

Breaking Maier's ski record leaves Odermatt too 'empty' to party

SPORTS 18.03.2023

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt broke Hermann Maier's men's World Cup ski points record on Saturday after dominating the giant slalom at the season finals in Andorra.

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Odermatt's 13th win of the elite circuit season took his points tally to 2042, to pass Maier's mark of 2,000 that had stood for 23 years.

"I would be ready to party, but I don't know any more if I have the energy because I am really, really empty," he told the sport's official website.

Already guaranteed the overall World Cup crystal globe for the second year running, Odermatt, 25, only needed to finish third to surpass the points haul set by the now-retired Austrian legend.

But the reigning Olympic giant slalom champion made history in style taking 100 points for a win, topping the times in 2min 19.64sec, more than two seconds clear of Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen with Austrian Marco Schwarz a further half a second back in third.

He had led the first run by 1.09 from Alexis Pinturault, who had to settle for eighth in the end.

After being generously applauded by rivals and fans alike the man of the season said: "I have no idea how I won. I was so tired.

"Today wasn't easy because of those damn 2,000 points. I really wanted the podium today. So, another victory, two seconds ahead, I don't know what to say!"

He added the record had meant more to him than he had let on.

"The past days I said it was not so important, just numbers. The important things are globes, but now I felt the pressure today. So I knew it was more important than I said, so I am happy I got it."

The 13th World Cup win (seven giant slaloms and six super-Gs) of the campaign drew him level with three ski greats - Sweden's Ingemar Stenmark, who reached that tally in 1979, Maier (2001) and Marcel Hirscher (2018).

On top of a superb World Cup campaign - he also took the giant slalom and super-G titles - Odermatt last month picked up gold medals in the giant slalom and downhill at the World Ski Championships in France.

The all-time World Cup points record is held by Slovenia's Tina Maze, who ended the 2013 women's season with a haul of 2,414.

The men's season concludes on Sunday with the final slalom race.

M.Fischer--AMWN

American Marconi Wireless News - Breaking Maier's ski record leaves Odermatt too 'empty' to party

Breaking Maier's ski record leaves Odermatt too 'empty' to party

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