Odermatt masters steep finish, leads World Cup giant slalom

ADELBODEN, Switzerland (AP) — World Cup overall leader Marco Odermatt led the first run of a giant slalom. He’s aiming to give Alpine ski powerhouse Switzerland its first win in 14 years in its classic home race. Odermatt was 0.31 seconds faster than Alexis Pinturault who is the defending overall World Cup champion. Filip Zubcic was 0.50 back in third. Odermatt was a full half-second faster than any rival down the signature steep final pitch. He was cheered on to the finish by more than 10,000 noisy fans who were absent last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.