BORMIO, Italy, Feb 14 (Reuters) - Swiss champion Marco Odermatt saw his last chance at an Olympic gold this year slip out of reach as Lucas Pinheiro Braathen dominated the men’s giant slalom race on Saturday.
After securing second place, the ski giant is nonetheless going home with three medals - a feat even he is pleased with.
“If you're not satisfied with three medals, then you have a problem,” Odermatt said. “Of course it would have been nice to have a gold medal, but I have one at home, and that's why this is now a nice collection.”
Following an incredibly successful season ahead of the Olympics, including eight victories across three disciplines that left him ranked overall world number one for the fifth year in a row, Odermatt’s runs on Saturday left a substantial 0.59 second gap to the next racer.
It was still not enough, however, to beat Braathen, to whom the Swiss had a 0.58 second time difference.
The winner of last Winter Olympics' giant slalom is now travelling home from Milano Cortina with two silvers and a bronze, his medal collection now complete with all three colours.
Though a feat most athletes would be thrilled with, Odermatt had been vocal about gunning for gold in the downhill race, which he failed to podium in and instead saw his younger teammate Franjo von Allmen snatch first place. Von Allmen also took gold in the men’s team combined and the super-G.
Pleased with his overall performance nonetheless, Odermatt was also once more standing on the podium with Swiss teammate and bronze medallist Loic Meillard after the pair earned a silver medal for their team combined performance on Monday.
“We talked about it a few days ago after combined, we said, hey, it'd be nice in a few days to stand again here on the podium together,” Meillard said after the giant slalom.
Now Odermatt can finally celebrate his successes, saying it has been a long week of always looking for the next challenge. “Now, it's over and I will enjoy it,” he said.
“Three medals is amazing. I was here in every race, maybe not at 100%, but always with 99% and that was the key to being so consistent,” he said.
(Reporting by Marleen Kaesebier in Bormio; Editing by Alison Williams)
