SKIING: Odermatt seals milestone 50th victory in Val Gardena downhill

VAL GARDENA, Italy – Marco Odermatt strengthened his hold on the Alpine skiing World Cup after winning the first of two downhill races in Val Gardena on Thursday, reaching a major milestone with his 50th career victory on the elite circuit.

The 28-year-old Swiss star joined Italian great Alberto Tomba as only the fourth man to reach the 50-win mark. Odermatt, who also claimed the season-opening downhill in Beaver Creek earlier this month, clocked one minute and 24.48 seconds on a shortened Saslong course, finishing 0.15 seconds ahead of fellow Swiss skier Franjo von Allmen.

Italy’s Dominik Paris delighted the home crowd by finishing third, just 0.19 seconds off the winning time.

“It’s a great achievement, but on Saturday we have the race from the top, so we’ll just have a quick toast,” Odermatt said after the race.

Thursday’s event, which replaced a downhill canceled earlier this season in Beaver Creek, was delayed by more than an hour due to poor visibility in the upper section of the course. The wait proved worthwhile for Odermatt, who has now won five of the eight races he has entered this season.

The four-time reigning overall World Cup champion overcame a minor mistake midway through the run to secure his sixth career downhill victory, exactly one year after his previous triumph in Val Gardena.

With 50 World Cup wins, Odermatt now ranks fourth on the men’s all-time winners list, trailing only retired Swedish legend Ingemar Stenmark, who leads with 86 victories.

Odermatt extended his lead in the overall World Cup standings to 605 points, holding a commanding advantage over Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen, who sits second, 303 points behind.

The race was marred by a heavy crash involving Norway’s Fredrik Moeller, last season’s super-G winner in Bormio. Moeller lost control after spinning off a jump and was airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in Bolzano.

“Fredrik is badly bruised and has lost two teeth, but he is doing well under the circumstances,” national team doctor Marc Strauss said. “He is being closely monitored by the hospital and the Ski Federation’s medical team to rule out further injuries after such a severe crash.”

Thursday’s downhill marked the first of three speed events on the Saslong, followed by Friday’s super-G and Saturday’s full-length classic downhill.

With five consecutive race days scheduled — as Val Gardena’s speed events are immediately followed by Alta Badia’s men’s giant slalom and slalom — organizers shortened Thursday’s course to reduce physical strain on athletes during an Olympic season.

The men’s Alpine skiing events at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics will be held in Bormio from February 6 to 22. -Reporting by Julien PretotEditing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters