Marco Schwarz has made a triumphant return to the top ranks of Alpine skiing, securing victory less than six weeks before the upcoming Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. After a two-year drought due to a knee injury, the versatile Austrian skier claimed his second World Cup win in seven days by triumphing in a super-G event in Livigno, Italy. This marked his eighth career win and his first in a speed discipline, following his giant slalom victory in Alta Badia the previous Sunday.
In Livigno, Schwarz outpaced a trio of Swiss skiers—Alexis Monney, Franjo von Allmen, and Marco Odermatt—who finished closely behind him, between two and three-tenths of a second. Despite not being the fastest starter, Schwarz navigated the unfamiliar World Cup slope in Livigno, which substituted for the traditional Bormio venue, the host of the upcoming Olympic men’s Alpine skiing events.
Livigno, near the Swiss border, made its debut as a top-level Alpine skiing race host, also set to accommodate Olympic snowboard and freestyle skiing competitions. While Schwarz claimed victory, overall World Cup leader Odermatt further solidified his super-G standings lead, as his closest rivals, Vincent Kriechmayr and Raphael Haaser of Austria, failed to finish their runs.
Schwarz and Odermatt had a memorable duel in the overall standings two years ago, with Schwarz leading before a knee injury forced him out of the season, allowing Odermatt to secure the big crystal globe once again. The challenging Li Zeta course in Livigno, starting at 2,375 meters altitude with a 47% maximum gradient, posed difficulties for many racers, particularly at two crucial jumps.
The first jump, midway down the track, presented a bumpy landing surface followed by a sharp right turn, where Odermatt lost ground to Schwarz. The second jump, near the finish, dashed Kriechmayr’s hopes of victory as he skied off course after landing off track. Other contenders, like Matthieu Bailet of France, also faced mishaps on the treacherous course.
Cameron Alexander of North Vancouver, B.C., emerged as the top Canadian, finishing 16th with a time of 1:11:10. Meanwhile, Jan Zabystran, the surprise winner of the previous super-G, finished outside the top 20, trailing the lead by 0.93 seconds.
Following the Livigno event, the next speed competition will be a super-G in Wengen, Switzerland, on January 16, with the men’s World Cup continuing in Italy for a night slalom in Madonna di Campiglio on January 7. Stay tuned for live coverage of these events on CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem.
