Alexis Pinturault set the second fastest time in the first round of the giant slalom at the World Cup finals in Soldeu (Andorra), more than a second behind the untouchable Swiss Marco Odermatt on Saturday.
By completing the first pass in 1 min 7 sec 86/100, Marco Odermatt relegated Alexis Pinturault to 1 sec 09 and the Norwegian Alexander Steen Olsen to 1 sec 12.
Odermatt has the opportunity to beat the men's World Cup points record set by Austrian Hermann Maier in the 1999/2000 season.
With currently 1,942 points, a third-place finish would be enough to better “Herminator’s” iconic 2,000 point mark.
Among women, only two skiers have passed this 2,000 point mark: the Slovenian Tina Maze, 2,414 points in 2013, and the American Mikaela Shiffrin, 2,204 in 2019 and at least 2,046 points in 2023 (she has one slalom left on Saturday and a giant slalom on Sunday in Soldeu).
With a success, Odermatt would join with thirteen victories in one season, the three legends of men's alpine skiing: the Swede Ingemar Stenmark (1979), and the Austrians Hermann Maier (2001) and Marcel Hirscher (2018).
The second round is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
