Ski. “Cyprien is really on another planet”, the Frenchman writes a page in history on the legendary Kitzbühel track
|Cyprien Sarrazin. MAXPPP – CHRISTIAN BRUNA
The French Cyprien Sarrazin wrote a page in the history of French sport on Saturday, by achieving an exceptional double in downhill on the legendary Streif in Kitzbühel, and becomes the equal of Luc Alphand, who had achieved a similar feat in 1995.
After a first victory at the wire on Friday and only 5/100th ahead of the Italian Florian Schieder, Cyprien Sarrazin put the art and manner into it Saturday on the Streif, with bright sunshine, a completely blue sky and under the eyes of the traditional field of stars in the Austrian Tyrolean resort.
"Today, there really was THE "run". Beyond the victory, there was the run, I took it out from the bottom of my heart. It was amazing, I enjoyed myself from top to bottom, I felt there was speed, I cross the line, I turn my head and I see that's ;#39;there is green, commented Sarrazin on Eurosport's microphone, after the race.
Il y a ceux qui le font, et ceux qui vous le font vivre : @FX_Rallet, @yoclarey et P-E Dalcin régalent comme Cyprien Sarrazin… 𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐂𝐈 𝐏𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 😍 #ChaletClub pic.twitter.com/g3kjtBi1J4
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) January 20, 2024
"In the "run", as in Bormio, I felt that I had done something "crazy". I think he (Odermatt) made two or three small mistakes. I didn't see it, but I was told, added the Frenchman.
A "crazy", a perfect word to sum up the race he offered to the tens of thousands of spectators gathered in the area. ;arrival of the most legendary alpine ski race.
A little less than three minutes before, they had already witnessed an impressive passage from Marco Odermatt. The Swiss, leader of the general classification of the World Cup, crossed the line lighting green, and thought he had completed the right race to add his name to the legend, one week after a double in Wengen.
Also read: VIDEO. "A crazy thing" : Cyprien Sarrazin's impressive descent for a historic double in Kitzbüel
Meet in Chamonix
"I can't be happy, because I took the risks to win here, that was my big goal. However, I thought that this would be enough to win, despite mistakes at the top, commented Odermatt on Swiss television RTS.
But that was before Cyprien Sarrazin. "Currently Cyprien is really on another planet", the Swiss must have recognized as a sportsman, the great dominator of the white circus in recent seasons, and relegated to 91/100th on Saturday, an eternity in races which are sometimes played out at counts of hundredths of a second.
Cyprien Sarrazin. MAXPPP – CHRISTIAN BRUNA
After his demonstration, Sarrazin climbed onto the inflatable tubes at the finish, to celebrate his passage with the public, conscious of having made a descent close to perfection.
"For him, it's exceptional. I told him: "There is no one above you anymore". In terms of skiing and descent, it's one of the very, very big ones,” said Adrien Théaux in the mixed zone.
"What's even more amazing is that he does it like all great athletes, at the top of their art. I compare it to Roger Federer, when he was at the top of his game, he did incredible things, with the impression that it was super easy. It's the same today, he hasn't given us a single fright, added Théaux.
"𝗝𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝘀 𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗷'𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲" : Cyprien Sarrazin 🇫🇷 réagit au micro d'Eurosport après son fantastique doublé à Kitzbühel #ChaletClub pic.twitter.com/0wITJ8ONdW
— Eurosport France (@Eurosport_FR) January 20, 2024
After this weekend "Sarrazinzin" in Kitzbühel, he is six points behind Odermatt in the Downhill World Cup rankings, while there are still four downhills to compete until the end of the season.
The next two will be at home in Chamonix in two weeks at the beginning of February, before heading to Norway and the Kvitfjell piste in mid-February, and finally the downhill finals in Austria in Saalbach.