Vincent Kriechmayr wins men's World Cup downhill in Bormio, Marco Odermatt struggles and misses podium
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Published 28/12/2022 at 14:17 GMT
Vincent Kriechmayr won the men's downhill with a time of 1:54.68, ahead of Canada's James Crawford (1:55.08) and Alexander Aamodt-Kilde of Norway (1:55.36). Wednesday’s result leaves Aamodt-Kilde top of the men's downhill standings, with Odermatt second and Kriechmayr in third. Elsewhere, it was a memorable day for Switzerland’s Justin Murisier, who finished seventh.
Kriechmayr fastest at World Cup downhill in Bormio
Vincent Kriechmayr produced a stunning performance in hugely challenging conditions to win the men’s downhill in Bormio for his second World Cup victory of the season.
The Austrian’s time of 1:54.68 sealed his triumph, with the podium completed by Canada's James Crawford (1:55.08) and Alexander Aamodt-Kilde of Norway (1:55.36).
Crawford was looking for his first World Cup win in the downhill and his remarkable run was a huge 1.47 seconds ahead of the USA’s Ryan Cochran-Siegle.
But his lead did not last long though, as Kriechmayr raised the bar even further with what proved to be that insurmountable time of 1:54.68.
Speaking after the race, the Austrian said: “Every metre, I kept pushing every turn to go as fast as possible.
“I made no mistake and my legs were pretty tired at the end, so I just had to keep pushing and there was some fantastic skiing from myself.
“It wasn’t easy, and to beat Alex [Aamodt-Kilde] and Ode [Marco Odermatt], who were super strong all of the season, you have to show your best at 100 per cent. I’m really proud of my skiing.”
Crawford’s second-place finish ensured he became the first Canadian since 2013 to reach the podium at this course.
He said: “Today it was quite good. From the feeling yesterday, we made a few changes to the set-up on the skis and I was able to ski with a lot of confidence and feel pretty normal on my edges.
“The last day was definitely a struggle so I was a little bit uneasy on the start gate not knowing what was going to happen. But after the first couple of turns, I grew in confidence from there.
“I knew we had done a good job with the skis and I felt really good.”
Much was expected from Aamodt-Kilde and the dominant force of Odermatt, and while the former finished on the podium, it was an ultimately disappointing day for the latter, the current world No. 1.
The physical nature of the course proved too much for Odermatt, and his run was not smooth enough to sufficiently challenge Kriechmayr. He finished 1.46 seconds off the pace in fourth and missed out on a place in the top three.
Many riders struggled to contend with the rough and bumpy nature of the course, as seven skiers failed to complete it.
This included the German duo of Dominik Schwaiger and Josef Ferstl, the latter emerging largely unscathed after a brutal fall.
Jared Goldberg did not finish the course either after a nasty fall into the fence, as the course took another victim.
Elsewhere, it was a memorable day for Switzerland’s Justin Murisier, who finished seventh after starting with bib No. 40.
Wednesday’s result leaves Aamodt-Kilde top, Odermatt second and Kriechmayr third in the downhill standings.
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