Six out of six - Swiss star Odermatt bags Bansko giant slalom
Swiss skier Marco Odermatt dominated the World Cup giant slalom on the Bulgarian slopes of Bansko on Saturday to remain unbeaten in the discipline this season with a perfect six from six.
Odermatt put in a solid risk-free first run to finish 0.35sec up on Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen.
And he extended that advantage in the second run to beat Steen Olsen, who was taking his first giant slalom podium, by 0.91sec.
Austria's Manuel Feller came in third at 1.08sec.
This was Swiss master Odermatt's ninth consecutive giant win - he last failed to nail victory in the discipline when second in February 2023 at Palisades Tahoe in the United States.
"For sure the confidence is on the highest level and everything is working well," Odematt said after his 20th World Cup giant slalom win.
"The skis are perfect. I just have fun skiing and it’s a great team result also."
By stretching his giant slalom run to nine, the overall World Cup winner for the past two seasons emulated the last skier to achieve that tally in a single discipline - Alberto Tomba in slalom from January 1994 to January 1995.
With six out of six this season he has a perfect 600 points, a lead of 286 over Filip Zubcic, in the discipline.
And he extended his advantage in the overall standings to 822 points from Cyprien Sarrazin.
Over the final six weeks of competition Odermatt is gunning to become the first man since Austrian Hermann Maier in 2001 to scoop four globes this season.
He leads the overall, super-G, giant slalom and downhill.
The first three look sure bets as long as he remains fit while he is only six points in front of France's Sarrazin as he chases his first downhill title with two races remaining.
Saturday's win was his 34th career World Cup victory, moving him one past Bode Miller, and now equal with Alexis Pinturault.
K.McMillan--EWJ
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