Fredrik Moeller of Norway secured his first World Cup victory on Sunday in a Super-G event that began with a concerning incident. Gino Caviezel became the third skier in the weekend to be airlifted off the course, which will be used for the 2026 Olympics.
Moeller’s win followed Alexis Monney’s breakthrough World Cup victory in the previous day’s downhill race. Moeller set an early mark on the challenging Stelvio slope, finishing 0.20 seconds ahead of Austria’s Vincent Kriechmayr.
“I feel really good,” Moeller commented. “My skiing was strong. I made some mistakes, but they weren’t too costly. I was able to ski well in areas I know I can perform in, and avoided making any big errors.”
Monney, starting 27th, nearly overtook Moeller after recovering from a rough start. However, the Swiss skier finished in third, just 0.04 seconds behind Kriechmayr, which was a relief for Moeller.
Like Monney, Moeller had never reached the podium before this weekend, with his best previous finish being fourth place.
However, the younger skiers clearly thrived on the Stelvio slope, which will host the men’s Alpine skiing events at the Milan-Cortina Olympics in 14 months.
Kriechmayr, 33, commented on the rising talent: “It’s incredible. They keep pushing the limits. They are always skiing on the edge. Now, to compete with them, you have to be perfect from start to finish. If you’re not pushing yourself to the limit, you won’t beat them.”
Monney and Moeller are both 24 years old.
Monney jokingly added, “It’s crazy. It’s nice that we can push the older skiers and maybe get better in the process.”
Marco Odermatt, Monney’s more celebrated teammate, left Bormio without a podium finish this weekend. In the Super-G, the three-time overall champion finished fifth, placed between his two Swiss teammates, Stefan Rogentin and Franjo von Allmen.
It was a particularly tough day for Caviezel, however. The 32-year-old skier, who was the first to start, crashed heavily early in the race and was airlifted to the hospital.
Two other skiers were also injured over the weekend. French skier Cyprien Sarrazin and Italian Pietro Zazzi were both taken off the slope by helicopter after separate crashes during downhill training on Friday. Sarrazin required surgery to treat a brain bleed, while Zazzi underwent an operation for a leg injury.
Despite the setbacks, Odermatt still leads the Super-G standings, though Moeller has narrowed the gap to just five points. Odermatt remains at the top of the overall standings, holding a 161-point lead.
