SOELDEN, Austria (Reuters) -Switzerland's four-times overall World Cup champion Marco Odermatt began his season in emphatic fashion, claiming victory in the men's Giant Slalom at the Alpine Ski World Cup season-opener in Soelden, Austria, on Sunday.

Despite challenging weather conditions causing a delay to the second run, Odermatt held his nerve to build on his slender first-run lead of 0.01 seconds over Austria's Marco Schwarz.