Switzerland’s Marco Odermatt became just the third skier to win four consecutive overall World Cup crystal globes with a second-place finish in the giant slalom at Hafjell.
Odermatt, 27, finished behind compatriot Loic Meillard in Norway to take the title with five races to go in the World Cup season, while also clinching his fourth giant slalom crown in a row.
Crystal globes are awarded to the winners of each of the four categories – downhill, super-G, giant slalom and slalom – in alpine skiing’s World Cup series, along with a prize for the overall winner.
Only Austria’s Annemarie Moser-Proell and Dutch-Austrian Marcel Hirscher have previously won four back-to-back overall titles in the World Cup.
Norway’s Henrik Kristoffersen finished 16th at his home event, meaning he is now unable to surpass Odermatt’s 1,596 points in the overall standings, with the 2022 Olympic giant slalom gold medallist now holding a 635-point lead over his rival.
“To win this globe, with this little bumpy road, is amazing,” said Odermatt.
“It’s definitely a different kind of skiing if you know you are super-close to the globe but not done it yet – there is no space for error.
“It helps a lot to have this GS globe in the pocket and just focus now on the last one in downhill.”
Odermatt has already won the super-G title for the third year in a row and leads the downhill standings going into the final meeting of the season in Idaho next week.
Meillard followed up his victory in the giant slalom by winning Sunday’s slalom to move up to second place in the overall standings. He is 47 points behind leader Kristoffersen, who was fifth in Sunday’s race, with one event remaining.
Great Britain’s slalom specialist Billy Major recorded his first ever top-10 finish in a World Cup event, finishing ninth in Hafjell after a storming second run.
