Winner of the descent in Val Gardena the day before, Kilde (30) was eliminated in the first run after almost falling, in this exercise which is not his specialty.
Whatever, he was ideally replaced by his compatriots, younger than him, Braathen (22), hope of "Norge", and Kristoffersen (28).
Only two hundredths separated the two skiers, while Odermatt, after a first run far from his standards (9th), finished third ten hundredths from the winner.
He gratified the Val Gardena public with a champion's reaction, performing a much better second run than the first, during which he did not have enough pace.
This season, the Swiss, leader of the Alpine Skiing World Cup, bows most often to Norwegians, his biggest rival being Kilde, second in the world circuit rankings.
Absent from the podium for the first time of the season on Saturday after the descent in Val Gardena, Odermatt revived by finishing again in the top 3, when Kilde had to retire.
Braathen pocketed his second success of the season after that in the slalom in Val d'Isère a week ago, and the fourth of his career in the World Cup.
He asserts himself a little more as one of the most talented skiers of his generation.
Kranjec passes by
In his characteristic style, with a lot of commitment and taking risks, Braathen dislodged Odermatt from first place, before Kristoffersen pushed him a little further.
He did make a few mistakes, especially at the top of the Italian track, but his risks paid off.
Lucas Braathen in Alta Badia, Italy, December 18, 2022 © Tiziana FABI / AFP
Just behind, the French Alexis Pinturault took fourth place, his best result since the start of the season, after his third place obtained in the super-G of Beaver Creek (United States).
Other Frenchmen entered in the race, Victor Muffat-Jeandet took fifteenth place and Mathieu Faivre finished in 23rd position.
In the lead after the first heat, the Slovenian Zan Kranjec broke down in the second, finishing in fifth position.
Silver medalist in the discipline at the Olympic Games in Beijing in February, Kranjec is having a good year, during which he also took second place against the giant of Sölden (Austria) at the start of the season, then third in Valley of Isere.
But victory continues to elude him, after his successes in Saalbach-Hinterglemm (Austria) in 2018 then in Adelboden (Switzerland) in 2020.
© 2022 AFP
