After yesterday's victory in the Super-G, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde wins also the Downhill in Beaver Creek. The Norwegian skied again very aggressively and managed to be the fastest man on the Birds of Prey racecourse.
Kilde has won eight World Cup events, four in the Super-G and four in the Downhill.
Since the start of 2018, Aleksander Aamodt Kilde is the only Norwegian man to have won a World Cup Downhill event: Val Gardena in 2018 and 2020, and now in Beaver Creek.
After his comeback, it only took him three races to impressively find his way back to the winning path to win a Super-G and a Downhill.
Kilde was close today to beat the speed record for a Downhill in the Birds of Prey racecourse held by Daron Rahlves. Rahlves' time of 1:39.59 in December 2003 is the fastest in competition for the full course, an average speed of 98.2 km/h and an average vertical descent of 7.6 m per second.
"My confidence was really high today. Yesterday was a very emotional day after winning the race. I felt good today, I know my skiing is good, and just need to do what I can do according to my plan. It is really unbelievable to be on the top of the podium again (...) I love the race, the course, and the snow here", said Kilde.
The winner of the last Downhill, Matthias Mayer finished in second place +0.66 behind Kilde. The Austrian had never been until today on the Downhill podium in Beaver Creek, his best position was 9th place in 2014.
Mayer finished on the podium in each of his last seven World Cup Downhill appearances. This run began with his victory in Bormio on 30 December 2020. He is the first Austrian man to claim seven successive top-three finishes in World Cup Downhill races since Stephan Eberharter, who set a run of eight in 2003-2004.
"I even took some passages too narrow, I didn't get the optimal line, there would have been more in there. I'm very satisfied with second place, I've changed a few things in terms of equipment”, said Mayer, who congratulated Kilde: “He's just brutally fast here at the start, in the flat, so he got the lead he needed. A few tenths were added to the finish line. That was it".
Beat Feuz completed the podium but was unsatisfied after making a big mistake hitting one of the gates. "I don't even want to know what this mistake cost me. After the crash, I didn't know where I was. The rest of the run was "very cool", the Swiss said.
After today's third-place (+1.01) Beat Feuz holds the podiums record for World Cup Downhill races, with 42.
The Emmentaler has been the best and, above all, the most constant Downhill skier in the World Cup for years. He has won the Downhill Crystal Globe in each of the last four World Cup seasons. He became the second male skier to win four successive Downhill titles, after Franz Klammer from 1974-1975 to 1977-1978.
Beat Feuz had achieved now six Downhill podiums in Beaver Creek. Only Svindal (7) has claimed more World Cup Downhill podiums in the US ski resort.
Comments