Odermatt wins men’s overall Alpine skiing World Cup for fifth straight year

COURCHEVEL, France:  Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt clinched the men’s overall Alpine skiing World Cup title for a fifth consecutive year on Friday, also securing the downhill crystal globe for the third season in a row.

Odermatt wrapped up the downhill title even before the race began in Courchevel after compatriot Franjo von Allmen, his only rival in the standings, failed to score points.

With one downhill race remaining in Norway on March 21, the 28-year-old Swiss skier holds an unassailable lead of 235 points in the speed standings.

Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr won the race for his first victory of the season and his first downhill win since 2022, finishing 0.09 seconds ahead of Italy’s Giovanni Franzoni. Odermatt took third place, 0.31 seconds behind the winner.

Von Allmen, a triple gold medallist at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina, skied out after starting 12th in the race, which had been moved forward due to weather forecasts.

In the overall World Cup standings, Odermatt now leads Brazilian skier Lucas Pinheiro Braathen by an unassailable 632 points with six races remaining in the season.

Speaking after the race, Odermatt described it as another “amazing day,” saying he was proud of consistently delivering strong performances across different tracks and conditions.

The Swiss star has now joined Marc Girardelli in second place on the all-time list of overall men’s World Cup champions with five titles, behind Austria’s Marcel Hirscher, who holds the record with eight.

Odermatt has won nine races this season — four in downhill, three in giant slalom and two in super-G — and also claimed two silver medals and a bronze at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

He currently leads the standings in both super-G and giant slalom as the season approaches its final races, with two super-G events scheduled in Courchevel before the final race in Kvitfjell, Norway.