BEAVER CREEK, Colo. (AP) — Canadian skier Broderick Thompson claimed his first-ever podium finish in the men’s super-G race at Beaver Creek on Thursday and stole some fanfare away from first-place finisher Marco Odermatt of Switzerland.
Odermatt smoothly glided through the steep and sun-drenched Birds of Prey course to post his second victory of the young season.
The 24-year-old Swiss star, who won a giant slalom race in Austria in October, navigated the technical course in a time of 1 minute, 08.61 seconds to hold off Austria’s Matthias Mayer by 0.78 seconds. However, the real surprise on a warm day at Beaver Creek was the performance of Thompson. The 35th racer on the course found a fast line to wind up third and knock Germany’s Andreas Sander off the podium and claim his first-ever World Cup medal.
The 27-year-old Thompson said his overriding emotion was “disbelief.”
“I knew I had a decent run but I looked at the time and seeing third, I can’t put words to it,” he said.
It was another impressive performance from Odermatt, who’s turning into the one to watch with the Beijing Games around the corner.
“His skiing is good. His tactic is very aggressive,” Mayer said. “And that’s what makes him so fast.”
The top American finish was Ryan Cochran-Siegle in a tie for 19th place and 1.95 seconds behind Odermatt’s time. A total of 14 racers didn’t finish the challenging course.
There will be another super-G race Friday, followed by downhills on Saturday and Sunday.
By The Associated Press