KVITFJELL: Vincent Kriechmayr won Sunday’s super-G at Kvitfjell in Norway as Swiss star Marco Odermatt continued his march towards another crystal globe by tying for third. Kriechmayr, a 32-year-old Austrian, finished 0.17sec ahead of Canadian Jeffrey Read, who claimed his first World cup podium place.

Odermatt and Italian Dominik Paris were another 0.02sec back in third. The competition was run from a significantly lower start due to poor visibility at the top of the course and the risk of ice forming on the skiers’ masks.

“It was a short super-G. The feeling on the snow is pretty smooth, not that bumpy, no ice,” Kriechmayr said at the finish line. “I skied pretty perfect. Just the left turn after the first split was not amazing but good enough to win.”

Odermatt could have clinched the super-G crystal globe if he finished in the top two will have to wait more than a month for the next race. He still holds an 81-point lead over the day’s winner. “I am very happy with a podium here,” he said. “It is another step in the right direction.” “I thought it was two small mistakes,” he said. “So the first thought at the finish was ‘ah, not again’.”

Kriechmayr could take the title if he wins at the World Cup finals which are in Saalbach in Austria from March 16 to 24. The Super-G there is on March 22. “I have no hope for this,” said the Austrian. “Odermatt is impressive and 80 points is impossible against Odermatt.”

“I want to have fun and just try to push on the limit.” The Swiss skier, who has already racked up ten victories this winter, mainly in the giant slalom where he is unbeaten for almost a year, has continued to cruise towards his third overall crystal globe.

He has 1,602 total points, more than twice as many as his nearest challenger Cyprien Sarrazin on 684. The Frenchman missed the weekend after suffering an injury in training. Read, the son of former skier Ken Read, had gained his best World Cup downhill result when he finished sixth on Saturday. “It’s tough to be close,” he said. “But for me it’s the first time even close to the lead, so I’m stoked.” — AFP