Battle for the Crystal Balls: Who will triumph in Sun Valley?

Battle for the Crystal Balls: Who will triumph in Sun Valley?

The final races of the 2024/25 Alpine Ski World Cup season are approaching in Sun Valley, USA. The Swiss Marco Odermatt has already practically secured the big crystal ball and is clearly leading with 1516 points, ahead of the Norwegian Henrik Kristoffersen (946 points) and his compatriots Franjo von Allmen (776 points) and Loïc Meillard (731 points). Odermatt could also win several small crystal balls in the remaining races after showing exceptional performances in the various disciplines watson.ch reported.

Odermatt has the best cards, especially on the descent, but his pursuer, Franjo von Allmen, is only 83 points behind him. To win the ball, Odermatt should finish no worse than 15th in the season finale. He has already won his first world championship title in the Super-G and leads the Austrian Vincent Kriechmayr with an impressive 491 points. He could also win the giant slalom ranking and his second downhill ball, while the possibility of a winless season looms for the Austrians, as Vincent Kriechmayr is only in 12th place as the best ÖSV man krone.at reported.

Exciting decisions ahead

The women's world also offers exciting developments: Federica Brignone leads the overall World Cup and has extended her lead over defending champion Lara Gut-Behrami to 322 points. A spirited competition is emerging in the downhill rankings, where Cornelia Hütter and Sofia Goggia also still have a chance of winning the crystal ball. Hütter is just 16 points behind Brignone and sees herself in a strong position to defend her title from last year, while Gut-Behrami is in the lead in the Super-G. In the remaining races, all athletes hope to secure the prestigious balls and end the season with a bang.