Schwarz takes super-G for 2nd World Cup win in 7 days with Olympics nearing

Marco Schwarz has truly arrived back in Alpine skiing's winners' circle, less than six weeks before the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Until last week, the Austrian all-rounder hadn't won a World Cup race for two years following a knee injury.

On Saturday, he won his second race in seven days, taking a super-G in Livigno, Italy for his eighth career triumph and first in a speed event. He also won a giant slalom last Sunday in another Italian resort, Alta Badia.

Schwarz defeated the Swiss trio of Alexis Monney, Franjo von Allmen and Marco Odermatt, respectively, who all finished between two and three-tenths behind the Austrian.

Marco Schwarz of Austria tops the World Cup super-G field in Italy

Schwarz wasn't among the fastest starters but stayed clean on a slope that was new to the World Cup.

Livigno was a one-time replacement for classic venue Bormio, which will stage the men's Alpine skiing events of the Olympics in February.

Livigno will host the Olympic snowboard and freestyle skiing events, but the resort near the Swiss border had not hosted a top-level Alpine ski race before.

Overall World Cup leader Odermatt still extended his lead in the super-G standings, as his closest challengers before the race — Austrians Vincent Kriechmayr and Raphael Haaser — both didn't finish their runs.

FIS Alpine Ski World Cup Livigno: Men's super-G

Schwarz and Odermatt had an intriguing battle in the overall standings two years ago. The Austrian was leading when he damaged his knee in a downhill crash and had to end his season in late December 2023, as Odermatt went on to clinch the big crystal globe again.

Livigno's Li Zeta course, with a start at 2,375-metre altitude and a maximum gradient of 47 per cent, contained two jumps that