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A duel between Odermatt and Sarrazin

Due to a very unbalanced calendar and the cancellation of the Chamonix downhill, the downhill aces have had nothing to get their teeth into since the end of January, apart from the Kvitfjel stage 5 weeks ago.

Cyprien Sarrazin suffered a calf injury in a fall on this slope, and remained uncertain for a long time about the last event of the season, scheduled for this week in Saalbach, as part of the World Cup finals.

Reassured after testing earlier in the week, the two-time Kitzbuhel winner impressed again this morning, taking 2nd place in training, well ahead of rival Marco Odermatt.

"I felt a tugging sensation in my calf when I did the obligatory stretching exercises before the start. But I didn't feel any pain during training," explains Cyprien Sarrazin.

"When I injured my calf, I thought it was dead for the small globe, so all the pressure fell off and went away. And in doing so, I probably accelerated my recovery."

The Tricolore therefore still has a good chance of winning the globe, as this downhill will take place on an easy run, usually reserved for the ladies, on snow that is undoubtedly very soft.

These are conditions that Marco Odermatt doesn't appreciate, as the world's N°1 skier prefers ice and difficult trails.

But this year, because of the conditions, the organizers were unable to prepare the men's track that will be used at next year's world championships.

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Cyprien Sarrazin will take the small globe if he wins and Marco Odermatt finishes no better than 4th.

If he finishes 2nd and Odermatt finishes no better than 7th, if he finishes 3rd and Odermatt finishes 14th.

Last condition: he finishes 4th or 5th and Odermatt finishes outside the top 15.

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