Veteran Matt relishes slalom win
Austrian Mario Matt became the oldest Olympic alpine ski champion on Saturday when he negotiated a tricky second run that many racers described as bad for the sport's image.
Matt, aged 34 years and 319 days, clocked a combined time of 1min 41.84sec, having never finished better than 34th position in previous Winter Games appearances.
"Everything has to fit together and I was lucky in this case. I thought that today I would just ski and just see what happens," said the two-time world slalom champion, in 2001 and 2007.
"I approached the course with that attitude and it worked out. It's the highlight of my career."
However, there was controversy in the closing alpine ski event with the irascible Croatian coach Ante Kostelic, father of ninth-placed Ivica, setting a tortuous course, having already come under fire for the testing slalom he set in the super-combined.
Kostelic senior is considered one of the most idiosyncratic of course setters whose slaloms rarely resemble those set by other coaches drawn by lot.
On a rapidly deteriorating and rutted course, it showed.
Sweden's Andre Myhrer was second fastest down the first run, but bombed out in the second along with 11 others in the top 30, a rate of attrition he put down to the setting of Kostelic, whom he dubbed an "idiot".
French medal hope Alexis Pinturault, who suffered a nasty fall, said the second leg was "not good for the image of skiing".
"I wanted to take risks and finished on my back," he said, his opinions mirrored by recently crowned Olympic giant slalom champion Ted Ligety, the American branding Kostelic's course set as "borderline unsportsmanlike".
"This is the Olympics, you're trying to showcase our sport to the rest of the world and I don't think this does us any favours, especially when you have 12 guys in the top 30 go out. That's not an ideal setting."
But Matt and teammate Marcel Hirscher, who won silver at 0.28sec, were, perhaps understandably, nonplussed by the overt criticism.
"I watched a lot of guys go out so I just concentrated on my skiing and didn't risk too much," acknowledged Matt.
"I don't think I've seen anything like that in my career.... But that's the run, everybody has their chance."
Hirscher, the reigning world champion, added: "I far prefer to be challenged. It's a matter of taste," adding that criticism was "unfair because you can walk the course beforehand".
Ivica Kostelic also leapt to the defence of his father, saying: "In the Olympic Games we are looking for a challenge because in the Olympic Games we are looking for a spectacle.
"The guys on the podium deserve to be there."
Norwegian teenager Henrik Kristoffersen claimed bronze at 0.83sec to become the youngest Olympic alpine podium winner.
"I feel pretty good right now," the 19-year-old said. "It was the goal to be here at the Olympics and, hopefully, I have few more to go."
