Odermatt claims maiden World Cup victory at Beaver Creek

The 22-year-old talent stopped the clock in a brilliant one minute 10.90 seconds, holding off Norway's Aleksander Aamodt Kilde who could only muster a time 0.10 seconds behind Odermatt's.

And it was the Swiss star's maiden triumph in any World Cup discipline, beating the seventh-place finished he achieved in Canada's Lake Louise last week to really announce himself on the skiing scene.

Austrian Matthias Mayer finished third, but it was all about Odermatt in the USA as he completed an unerring ski that showcased all the precocious talents of the youngster.

Odermatt showed experience beyond his years on the American slopes, taking the optimum amount of risk without compromising the solidity of his run to hold off the rest of the field.

But it was heartbreak for Kilde, with the Norwegian making a mistake on the final section of his run to fall away despite leading all the early splits.

And for Mayer, his third-place finish continued his current rich vein of form, following up his Super G victory in Lake Louise to extend his hegemony at the top of the overall standings with 221 points, 41 ahead of Italy's Dominik Paris.

Attention now turns to the Downhill race on Saturday, with the action continuing on Sunday when a giant slalom takes centre stage.

Sportsbeat 2019