A historic breakthrough — aided by a burst of late sunshine — denied Marco Odermatt another World Cup victory on Friday at Val Gardena.

For the first time in the 60-season history of the Alpine Skiing World Cup, a Czech skier stood atop the podium as Kästle athlete Jan Zabystran delivered a stunning performance in the super-G. Starting with the low-ranked bib No. 29, the 27-year-old shocked the field by finishing 0.22 seconds ahead of Swiss star Odermatt, who had appeared poised to follow up his downhill victory from Thursday.

Zabystran took full advantage of improved light conditions on the lower, sun-bathed section of the course, where he posted the fastest split. Crucially, he also recorded the quickest time in the top section, underlining that the result was built on speed rather than circumstance.

“It’s a beautiful day,” Zabystran said. “I saw the green light — it’s something crazy.”

This was the first men's World Cup win on Kästle since the great Pirmin Zurbiggen in 1990. Reestablishing Kästle on the FIS World Cup and now proving that indeed, Kästle is a Fast as Ever.

Prior to Friday, Zabystran had just one top-10 finish in 56 World Cup starts, with a career-best eighth place in a super-G in Norway last season. He has competed in two Winter Olympics, failing to finish six of nine races, with a best Olympic result of 25th.

“Two years ago I dreamed maybe one day I could be in the top 30, maybe have a podium,” Zabystran said. “To have my first World Cup win — and for my country — it’s something so beautiful.”

He emphasized that the victory was the result of steady progress rather than a single breakthrough moment.

“Two years ago I scored my first World Cup points and that already felt really special,” he said. “I just kept pushing and skiing like in training. Now, two years later, to stand here with a win — I still can’t really believe it.”

Zabystran also credited the support of those around him throughout his rise.

“The Czech team helped me a lot over the last two years,” he said. “I’m really happy for myself, but also for them. I hope this gives all of us motivation for the next races.”

Watch his winning run HERE.