Alpine skiing-Odermatt takes first super-G season title with record win

(Reuters) – Marco Odermatt put down a blistering run to win the super-G in Aspen on Sunday and capture his first season title in the discipline, making history as the only skier to win five super-Gs in a single men’s season.

Trailing after the first interval time, the Swiss speedster flipped a switch to cross the finish line in one minute 6.80 seconds, 0.05 seconds ahead of Germany’s Andreas Sander with Norway’s Aleksander Aamodt Kilde in third.

“I didn’t know it would be a record so that’s really nice,” Odermatt said.

“Five victories in one season is pretty cool and securing the globe before the final is even better.”

The amiable 25-year-old with a fluid skiing style said that his approach going into the race was to simply relish the opportunity.

“I just want to have fun all the time and go for it,” he said.

“I wasn’t counting points at the start for the globe, I just wanted to enjoy the race. It was a really cool hill for super-G, a really nice course. I was excited to race it and wanted to show my best.”

Odermatt has won five of the seven super-G races he has competed in this season, with one still to go.

With nine victories across multiple disciplines this season he is also leading the overall World Cup standings.

Going directly after Odermatt, the veteran Sander captured his first career World Cup podium after 180 starts.

“I am really, really happy that I achieved this big goal,” Sander said.

Kilde, who won his second consecutive downhill season title on Saturday, got off to a strong start on Sunday but struggled to maintain his balance and a wide turn forced him to settle for third, 0.34 seconds behind Odermatt.

“I love racing here,” Kilde said. “I love the flow of the hill, it is one of the easier ones I would say but that is more because of the snow. It is beautiful to ski here.”

(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; editing by Clare Fallon)