Marco
Odermatt
Switzerland
·
Alpine Skiing
Date of birth | 8 October 1997 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Buochs |
Age | 28 |
Nationality | Switzerland |
Career start | 2016 |
Disciplines | Alpine Skiing Downhill / Alpine Skiing Giantslalom / Alpine Skiing Super G |
Born in Buochs, Switzerland, Marco Odermatt received an overdose of talent from his parents – and he thanks them with every skiing victory he achieves.
After learning his trade at the Hergiswil Ski Club, he reached the final in his very first Migros GP and, by the age of 10, was selected to join the youth squad of the Nidwalden Ski Association (NSV) under the tutelage of NSV trainer Rumo Lussi.
A glittering junior career followed, and his last Junior World Championship (in Davos, Switzerland, in 2018) was his masterpiece because he won an unprecedented five gold medals in five races (combined, downhill, super-G, giant slalom, and team event).
Those headline-grabbing performances brought Marco a lot of attention and pressure to achieve on the biggest stage – but he seems to be taking it all in his stride.
“The only one who is putting me under pressure is myself,” says Marco, who scored his first World Cup victory in Beaver Creek's super-G race during the 2019–20 season.
Unsurprisingly, Marco's time on the podium continued to add up in the 2020–21 season. After four podium finishes in January and February, he achieved back-to-back World Cup wins at Austria and Slovenia in March of that season.
There was more success in 2022 when the Swiss ace won a giant slalom gold medal at the Winter Games in China. That was followed up with a first giant slalom crystal globe, secured with two races to spare after a second-place finish in Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. He topped that a few days later when second place in the Courchevel downhill sealed his debut overall FIS World Cup title.
A serious contender for glory whenever he lines up to race, Marco continued his incredible run in 2023 as he produced one of the greatest men's World Cup seasons in history. The Swiss superstar produced 13 wins and amassed a points total of 2,042 – passing the record set by the great Hermann Maier in the 1999-2000 season.
Marco also had a record-breaking 2024. He's set a record 13 giant slalom victories this season. He also claimed the FIS Alpine Skiing World Cup overall title and giant slalom crystal globe for the third successive year.
In 2025, although he didn't find the same record-breaking form, Marco did enough to clinch a fourth successive overall Crystal Globe and Giant Slalom discipline globe, sealing both with a second-place finish in Hafjell, Norway to cement his position as the best alpine skier of his generation. He said: "I just won my fourth Globe in a row in GS, so that was definitely something I can be happy about and not be sad about second. I'm very happy with the race. I struggled a little bit with my GS skiing. I couldn't find the same flow as I had last year."
Earlier in the season he also finally clinched his first Super G World Championship gold medal.