Swiss ski star Odermatt secures overall and GS World Cup titles in race won by teammate Meillard

HAFJELL, Norway (AP) — Swiss ski star Marco Odermatt didn't win the race, but he did earn two crystal globes and set a national record in Alpine skiing on Saturday.

Odermatt finished second behind teammate Loic Meillard in a World Cup giant slalom to formally lock up his fourth straight overall and GS titles.

The only remaining challenger for the overall title, Henrik Kristoffersen, needed to finish the race well ahead of Odermatt to keep his mathematical chance alive, but the Norwegian finished in 16th place.

“Yeah, it’s unbelievable, two more globes on my side,” said Odermatt, who extended his lead to 635 points over Kristoffersen in the overall standings with only five events remaining.

Clinching the title was a formality since Kristoffersen doesn’t compete in speed events, though the Norwegian would have the right to start in super-G and downhill at the World Cup finals in Sun Valley, Idaho, which begin next weekend.

The result also gave the 27-year-old Odermatt an insurmountable lead in the GS standings, where runner-up Kristoffersen is trailing by 106 points with only the season-ending race remaining.

“The big one I already felt like I had it, but the GS one was still a big fight with Henrik,” Odermatt said. “He skied so good in Kranjska Gora (two weeks ago) and my GS shape is probably not at the very, very best level like I skied last year.”

Odermatt started the season with two DNF's in giant slalom, leaving him on zero points after two races, but won three times in the course of the season.

“This GS globe has a different story. The last three years I really started well ... I wore the red (leader’s) bib from the first until the last race and was almost all season pretty clear ahead,” the Swiss standout said.

“This year I started with two zero points, so I really had to come from the back and win race by race .... To win this globe on this little bumpy road is amazing.”

Odermatt also set a Swiss record with his 87th career World Cup podium, moving him one past the previous best mark set by Pirmin Zurbriggen in 1990.

Odermatt became the sixth skier in men’s World Cup history with at least four overall titles, but only the second to win four in a row. Austrian standout Marcel Hirscher won a record eight consecutive titles in 2012-19.

It has become typical for Odermatt to lock up the overall title even before the season-ending races at the World Cup finals.

His point-advantages in the final standings only grew over the years, from leading runner-up Aleksander Aamodt Kilde by 467 and 702 points, respectively, in his first two years as overall champion, to beating Meillard by 874 points last season.

Odermatt already secured the super-G championship last week and is favorite to add the downhill title as well. Winning four globes would mean a repeat of his achievement from last season.

Ahead of the last downhill next week, Odermatt leads teammate and world champion Franjo von Allmen by 83 points. Odermatt will win the title if he finishes 15th or better, or if Von Allmen does not win the race.

“It’s definitely a different kind of skiing if you know you are super close to the globe but not done it yet,” Odermatt said. “There is no space for error, so it helps a lot to have this GS globe in the pocket and just focus now on the last one in downhill.”

Kristoffersen still has a chance to win a globe this season, as he holds a commanding 77-point lead in the slalom standings ahead of Sunday's race.

In Saturday's GS on a course set by Swiss coach Julien Vuignier, Meillard led a Swiss sweep of the podium, leading Odermatt by 0.14 seconds and third-place Thomas Tumler by 0.23.

“I think it’s the first time we do it in GS, three Swiss guys on the podium for our team," Meillard said. "So, that's something special that we are going to remember.”

Lucas Pinheiro Braathen, chasing Brazil’s first-ever top-level ski race win since his switch from the Norwegian federation this season, briefly led the race in the second run before being bumped into fourth by the Swiss trio.

American racer River Ramadus finished seventh to match his best result of the season from a giant slalom in Beaver Creek, Colorado in December.

World champion Raphael Haaser had a nasty crash when the Austrian straddled a gate, went airborne and landed on his upper back. He was attended to by medics and got up with a bloodied face before sliding down to the finish area on one ski.

AP skiing: https://apnews.com/alpine-skiing

Switzerland's Loic Meillard, center, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, celebrates on the podium with second-placed Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, left, and third-placed Switzerland's Thomas Tumler, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard, center, winner of an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, celebrates with second-placed Switzerland's Marco Odermatt, left, and third-placed Switzerland's Thomas Tumler, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt celebrates on the podium after taking second place in an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt reacts at the finish area of an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)

Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen concentrates ahead of an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Giovanni Zenoni)

Brazil's Lucas Pinheiro Braathen competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Loic Meillard competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen concentrates ahead of an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Norway's Henrik Kristoffersen competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Switzerland's Marco Odermatt competes in an alpine ski, men's World Cup Giant Slalom, in Hafjell, Norway, Saturday, March 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gabriele Facciotti)

Violent tornadoes ripped through parts of the U.S., wiping out schools and toppling semitractor-trailers in several states, part of a monster storm that has killed at least 26 people as more severe weather was expected late Saturday.

The number of fatalities increased after the Kansas Highway Patrol reported eight people died in a highway pileup caused by a dust storm in Sherman County on Friday. At least 50 vehicles were involved.

Missouri recorded more fatalities than any other state as it withstood scattered twisters overnight that killed at least 12, authorities said. The deaths included a man whose home was ripped apart by a tornado.

“It was unrecognizable as a home. Just a debris field,” said Coroner Jim Akers of Butler County, describing the scene that confronted rescuers. “The floor was upside down. We were walking on walls.”

Dakota Henderson said he and others rescuing people trapped in their homes Friday night found five bodies scattered in the debris outside what remained of his aunt's house in hard-hit Wayne County, Missouri.

“It was a very rough deal last night," he said Saturday, surrounded by uprooted trees and splintered homes. “It’s really disturbing for what happened to the people, the casualties last night."

Henderson said they rescued his aunt from a bedroom that was the only room left standing in her house, taking her out through a window. They also carried out a man who had a broken arm and leg.

Officials in Arkansas said three people died in Independence County and 29 others were injured across eight counties as storms passed through the state.

“We have teams out surveying the damage from last night’s tornadoes and have first responders on the ground to assist,” Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders said on X.

She and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared states of emergency. Kemp said he was making the declaration in anticipation of severe weather moving in later Saturday.

On Friday, meanwhile, authorities said three people were killed in car crashes during a dust storm in Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle.

The deaths came as a massive storm system moving across the country unleashed winds that triggered deadly dust storms and fanned more than 100 wildfires.

Extreme weather conditions were forecast to affect an area home to more than 100 million people. Winds gusting up to 80 mph (130 kph) were predicted from the Canadian border to Texas, threatening blizzard conditions in colder northern areas and wildfire risk in warmer, drier places to the south.

The National Weather Service issued blizzard warnings for parts of far western Minnesota and far eastern South Dakota starting early Saturday. Snow accumulations of 3 to 6 inches (7.6 to 15.2 centimeters) were expected, with up to a foot (30 centimeters) possible.

Winds gusting to 60 mph (97 kph) were expected to cause whiteout conditions.

Evacuations were ordered in some Oklahoma communities as more than 130 fires were reported across the state. Nearly 300 homes were damaged or destroyed. Gov. Kevin Stitt said at a Saturday news conference that some 266 square miles (689 square kilometers) had burned in his state.

The State Patrol said winds were so strong that they toppled several tractor-trailers.

Experts said it's not unusual to see such weather extremes in March.

The Storm Prediction Center said fast-moving storms could spawn twisters and hail as large as baseballs on Saturday, but the greatest threat would come from winds near or exceeding hurricane force, with gusts of 100 mph (160 kph) possible.

Significant tornadoes continued to hit Saturday. The regions at highest risk stretch from eastern Louisiana and Mississippi through Alabama, western Georgia and the Florida panhandle, the center said.

Bailey Dillon, 24, and her fiance, Caleb Barnes, watched a massive tornado from their front porch in Tylertown, Mississippi, about half a mile (0.8 km) away as it struck an area near Paradise Ranch RV Park.

They drove over afterward to see if anyone needed help and recorded a video depicting snapped trees, leveled buildings and overturned vehicles.

“The amount of damage was catastrophic,” Dillon said. “It was a large amount of cabins, RVs, campers that were just flipped over -- everything was destroyed.”

Paradise Ranch reported on Facebook that all its staff and guests were safe and accounted for, but Dillon said the damage extended beyond the ranch itself.

“Homes and everything were destroyed all around it,” she said. “Schools and buildings are just completely gone.”

Some of the imagery from the extreme weather has gone viral.

Tad Peters and his dad, Richard Peters, had pulled over to fuel up their pickup truck in Rolla, Missouri, Friday night when they heard tornado sirens and saw other motorists flee the interstate to park.

“Whoa, is this coming? Oh, it’s here. It’s here,” Tad Peters can be heard saying on a video. “Look at all that debris. Ohhh. My God, we are in a torn ...”

His father then rolled up the truck window. The two were headed to Indiana for a weightlifting competition but decided to turn around and head back home to Norman, Oklahoma, about six hours away, where they encountered wildfires.

Wildfires elsewhere in the Southern Plains threatened to spread rapidly amid warm, dry weather and strong winds in Texas, Kansas, Missouri and New Mexico.

A blaze in Roberts County, Texas, northeast of Amarillo, quickly blew up from less than a square mile (about 2 square kilometers) to an estimated 32.8 square miles (85 square kilometers), the Texas A&M University Forest Service said on X. Crews stopped its advance by Friday evening.

About 60 miles (90 kilometers) to the south, another fire grew to about 3.9 square miles (10 square kilometers) before its advance was halted in the afternoon.

High winds also knocked out power to more than 200,000 homes and businesses in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, according the website poweroutage.us.

Shipkowski reported from Toms River, New Jersey; Walker from New York; and Reynolds from Louisville, Kentucky. Jeff Roberson in Wayne County, Missouri, Gene Johnson in Seattle and Janie Har in San Francisco contributed.

A image of Jesus hangs displayed inside a home belonging to Tim Scott, who was standing near the image when his house was destroyed by a severe storm the evening before, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Dustin Halcom of the Cord Fire Department helps salvage what's left of the Walling Drug store Saturday, March 15, 2025 after it was destroyed by a severe storm that ripped through Cave City, Ark., late Friday night. (Staci Vandagriff/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)

Tim Scott sits on the stairs of his home he was inside when it was destroyed during a severe storm the evening before Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Tim Scott, right, gets a hug from friend Jorden Harris outside Scott's home he was inside when it was destroyed during a severe storm the evening before Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

A vehicle sits in front of a damaged home and debris from a severe storm Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

A home is destroyed after a severe storm, Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

A vehicle sits in front of a damaged home and debris from a severe storm is seen Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Debris from a severe storm is scattered outside a damaged home Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Destruction from a severe storm is seen Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Destruction from a severe storm is seen Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Destruction from a severe storm is seen Saturday, March 15, 2025, in Wayne County, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

Matt Wolff, left, works underneath his carport with the help of his father-in-law Dempsey Watson and friend Tyler Umbright, right, as they work to stabilize after a severe storm in Bridgeton, Mo., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

Marcus Cole embraces his daughters while standing in front of his destroyed home after a severe storm in Bridgeton, Mo., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

Missy, who declined to give her last name, searches for photographs in a debris field behind a relative's home after a severe storm in Bridgeton, Mo., Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

People work through the debris of the Cave City Auto Parts store on Saturday, March 15, 2025 after a severe weather storm Friday night in Cave City, Ark. (Staci Vandagriff/Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)

In this photo provided by Missouri State Highway Patrol, a truck is damaged after a severe storm passed the area near Ozark County, Mo., early Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Missouri State Highway Patrol via AP)

In this photo provided by Missouri State Highway Patrol, a home is damaged after a severe storm passed the area near Ozark County, Mo., early Saturday, March 15, 2025. (Missouri State Highway Patrol via AP)

In this photo provided by Missouri State Highway Patrol, a building is damaged after a severe storm passed the area near Ozark County, Mo., late Friday, March 14, 2025. (Missouri State Highway Patrol via AP)

In this photo provided by Missouri State Highway Patrol, a home is damaged after a severe storm passed the area near Ozark County, Mo., late Friday, March 14, 2025. (Missouri State Highway Patrol via AP)

This image provided by shows aerials over the damage caused by the wildfires in Logan County, Okla. (KOCO via AP)

This image provided by shows aerials over the damage caused by the wildfires in Logan County, Okla. (KOCO via AP)

This image provided by shows aerials over the damage caused by the wildfires in Logan County, Okla. (KOCO via AP)

Debris covers the road during a severe storm passed the area north of Seymour, Mo., in Webster County late Friday, March 14, 2025. (Trooper Austin James/Missouri State Highway Patrol via AP)

Debris covers the road during a severe storm passed the area north of Seymour, Mo., in Webster County late Friday, March 14, 2025. (Trooper Austin James/Missouri State Highway Patrol via AP)

Debris covers the road during a severe storm passed the area north of Seymour, Mo., in Webster County late Friday, March 14, 2025. (Trooper Austin James/Missouri State Highway Patrol via AP)

A wildfire spreads through trees Friday, March 14, 2025, south of Langston, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

The Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Oklahoma is seen covered by dusk and smoke as wildfires spread across Oklahoma on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Families evacuated from wildfires near Norman, Okla. talk and watch the latest news information on tv at CrossPoint Church in Norman on Friday, March 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

A wildfire burns through a field Friday, March 14, 2025, south of Langston, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

A wildfire burns a home down on Friday, March 14, 2025, south of Langston, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Fire crews battle a wildfire Friday, March 14, 2025, south of Langston, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

This photo provided by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol shows a tractor-trailer overturned on highway US 183 just south of Hobart, Oklahoma on Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Oklahoma Highway Patrol via AP)

A wildfire burns at night on Friday, March 14, 2025, south of Langston, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

Crews work to remove a large pine tree from Glencannon Drive after severe weather hit in Pico Rivera, Calif., Thursday, March 13, 2025. (David Crane/The Orange County Register via AP)

Mark Nelson, of Wis., waits with his tractor-trailer after it overturned during high winds and a possible tornado on Interstate 44 westbound at Villa Ridge, Mo., Friday, March 14, 2025. (Robert Cohen/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)