A total of seven Norwegians were part of the final round during the giant slalom race in Sölden. But despite a day with some fine Norwegian performances, neither will reach the top. Marco Odermatt won the World Cup opener, 76 ahead of Zan Kranjec of Slovenia.

Henrik Kristoffersen became Norway’s best man in third place. The 28-year-old racer was happy after getting on the podium. He historically fought in Sölden.

– Big day. That’s mainly the last 48 hours with everything that has happened, Kristoffersen told NRK.

– This is for her

Kristofferson was clearly influenced and used the opportunity to pay tribute to the late Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz – who died on Saturday aged 78. The Norwegians have had Red Bull as a sponsor for several years.

– I’m one hundred percent convinced both from Marco (Odermatt) and myself that …, Kristofferson said, and had to take a short break before adding:

– It’s for him.

– Did it affect you today?

– When you race, you have to focus on what you have to do. It’s very special because he has done so much for sports and athletes. This is an extraordinary person who has died, he replied.

Sunday’s winner as well as Red Bull-sponsored Odermatt also chose to find words of praise about Mateschitz. He heard about the news this morning.

– I didn’t know him very well, but he was a great person in skiing and the whole world of sports. It is very sad that he has died. I think the whole Red Bull family will show him some good skiing today. “I am happy to share this win with him,” he told NRK.

Kudos to the team’s hard work

Kristofferson led for some time after finishing sixth in the finals, but dropped two places. Lucas Braathen finished fourth after being second best before the final.

“It’s not fun to be fourth, but in the end I’m proud of the work I did today,” Braathen told NRK.

Rasmus Windingstad also appeared impressive in the final round. bearing was in 12th place after the first round, but managed to move up to fifth place.

– It’s great for them to get off to a good start. Sölden became the favourite, ie. “It was a bit of a mess in the middle with today’s starting numbers, so I’m really happy that I was able to put in a good result,” Windingstad told NRK.

As a result, a total of three Norwegians ended up in the top five during the opening of the World Cup.

– This is really crazy. We’re a bit of a team, it’s a pleasure to be a part of that. “It’s almost been my reflection that I’m part of the best alpine team Norway has ever had,” said Windingstad of the team’s performance.

Satisfied with the condition

Atle Lie McGrath was very satisfied with the first round at Sölden, but was unable to fight for the top spot. He took 18th place. McGrath also chose to pay tribute to the team’s performance.

– Totally wild. The fact that there were seven Norwegians in the final was pretty cool. This is a pretty raw effort from today’s gangs. It was great to be a part of it, he told NRK.

Kristofferson was 95th behind Odermatt prior to the final, and could never catch up with the Swiss – who were thrilled after the win at Sölden.

– It’s fantastic and the perfect start to the season. It was a challenging race with snow in the second half. But yeah, a perfect start, Odermatt told NRK.

Odermatt won the World Cup in its entirety last season, and plans to repeat the feat this year as well. He believes it’s important to start off well.

– This is very important. It shows that you are on the right path. That summer is good and no other country has figured out how to drive two or three seconds faster. I think the Norwegian team looks strong this winter. It “pushed” again, also with young people. It will be a good winter, he said.

After several days of bad weather, Kristoffersen points out that conditions in Sölden are very good.

– The second half will be more difficult, so it’s still possible to take more time. This is the easiest Sölden I’ve ever ridden. “I think everyone said that,” he said between innings and was backed by McGrath.

– I would say that this was the easiest lap I’ve ridden in Sölden so far. It was a very good relationship. “I was driving tactically the way I wanted to, considering I’ve never made it to the second half here,” he said.

It’s heavy

Aamodt Kilde was a little tougher at Sölden. He was far behind after the first lap, and was knocked out when he had a problem hanging in the final.

– It’s a bit typical when you’ve done a bit of hang skiing on a slalom, it’s kind of easy to get excited and lose your mind. So pathetic, the word alpine is set to NRK.

As such, he got off to a rough start in the overall ball hunt.

Alexander Steen Olsen impressed in his first senior race at Sölden. The 21-year-old did well in the first half, but couldn’t get much done during the final. Steen Olsen finished in 19th place.

– That is fun. Get a pleasant surprise to enter the hangar and feel that there are good conditions. Then it’s just a matter of eating, the youngster told NRK before the start of the final.

Leif Kristian Nestvold-Haugen is at number 14, his best position for more than a year and a half. Fabian Wilkens Solheim failed to qualify for the final round.