Marco Odermatt, favorite under pressure

The Swiss, imperial this winter in the World Cup with six victories including four in giant, misses for the moment his Games with a 7th place in downhill and an exit from the track in super-G when he was among the favourites.

Beaten only once in five giants this season, Odermatt seems to have a margin to secure the podium in Yanqing.

But his mixed start could put him under pressure and remind him that he had already missed the Worlds in Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy) in 2021 (zero medals, elimination as a giant) at the heart of a successful season.

The world champion: Mathieu Faivre

The Frenchman, who celebrated his 30th birthday last month, did not have the expected results this winter with at best a 5th place in Adelboden (Switzerland).

After internships in Vars and in his station at Isola 2000, to "get information on the equipment and some answers", he is attacking his third Games.

"Things are different a year after Cortina, the environment is different, the race too, the snow too, it's up to me to try to put myself in a state of mind of conquest, announces the double world champion (giant and parallel). I want to give the best of myself, to have the least regrets on the two races. Cortina is in the past, it will not have an impact on what happens here."

Frenchman Mathieu Faivre in action in the World Cup super-G in Wengen, Switzerland, January 13, 2022 Fabrice COFFRINI AFP / Archives

Pinturault, resting

Alexis Pinturault, with his 18 World Cup victories and his two Olympic bronzes (2014 and 2018) in his favorite discipline, should have been one of the favorites.

But the Frenchman has been inconsistent this winter (two podiums in five races) and has yet to win.

Above all, he hurt his right shoulder when he fell during the combined slalom on Thursday.

Alexis Pinturault helped by a member of the Blues staff after his fall in the combined slalom at the Beijing Games, February 10, 2022 Fabrice COFFRINI AFP

Appeared in tears in front of the press, marked by his failure and the possibility of finishing his Olympics on this fall, the medical examinations were "reassuring" according to the French Olympic committee, with a "simple contusion" of the shoulder.

Pinturault was rested on Friday and should be back on skis on Saturday.

The underdog: Manuel Feller

The Austrian with a unique look on the circuit - long hair, goatee mustache, big tattoos and hallucinated eyes - has already climbed the podium three times this winter as a giant.

The king of risk-taking scared himself by being contaminated with Covid-19 at the end of January, but is very present in China where he came to encourage his teammate Johannes Strolz, Olympic champion in the combined on Thursday.

© 2022 AFP