KITZBÜHEL, Austria – when Aleksander Aamodt Kilde scrolled through the photos on his cell phone Friday, hours before one of the most important World Cup downhills of the Season, he had a dramatic memory of his Situation a year ago.
The Norwegian skier was seen on crutches on the balcony of his apartment in Innsbruck, Austria, a few days after surgery for a fractured ACL in his right knee.
“It’s a very big difference now,” Kilde said after winning the start on Friday. “Winning in Kitzbühel has always been a dream for me.”
Kilde’s clean downhill win on the Streif has contributed to his dominance in speed racing this season. It was the Norwegian’s sixth win in 12 speed events this season and third in a downhill. He now leads the Super-G and downhill standings.
“Now, a little over a year after my knee surgery, to stand here is awesome,” Kilde said. “There’s a lot of things that have to happen to win, and today was one of those days when I felt really good.”
Kilde beat Johan Clarey by 0.42 seconds, while his French teammate Blaise Giezendanner, after with the number 43, surprisingly finished third on the Podium.
Toronto Jack Crawford drove to sixth place and missed the Podium by only 0.39. it was his third Top-10 finish this season.
“The conditions were tough today and I could keep my head down and ski as much as I have all year,” Crawford said. “It’s always been my dream to win Kitzbuehel, but it feels good to be sixth and prove that the speed is there.”
Gusts at the top of the mountain forced the organizers to descend the start for the mousetrap, omitting the original steep starting section and the jump that followed. It shortens execution times by about eight seconds.
“The normal race here is a little different, even with the spectators. But Kitzbühel remains Kitzbühel and I am now very proud,” Kilde said.
The state’s anti-recent times measures in Austria have allowed 1,000 spectators, a fraction of the usual 45,000 spectators.
World Cup Leader Marco Odermatt of Switzerland was fifth, 0.78 seconds behind. He was the last rider to arrive at the finish line less than a second from the time of kilde’s victory.
“It was a great race, especially in the technical parts. There is still something not found in the plans,” said Odermatt, who lost most of his time in the long gliding sections.
In the overall standings, he still occupies the second place with 335 points.
Strong winds and light snowfall created changeable race conditions. This allowed several competitors to run faster than Kilde on some divisions, but no one matched the consistency of the Norwegian.
Kilde also mastered the Hausberg Passage, where the organizers had changed course after a series of accidents in recent years.
The gates forced the riders to make a slight turn before approaching the Traverse leading to the steep finish section to reduce their speed on the last jump.
Clarey repeated his performance from last year when he finished second to Beat Feuz.
“I didn’t think I could do it again. Maybe one day I will be able to win, but (Kilde) is too fast and too strong right now,” said Clarey, who turned 41 this month and is the oldest skier to reach a world Cup podium.
After winning two races in one weekend in Kitzbühel last year, Feuz took eighth place on Friday, his worst result.
Giezendanner achieved his best career result since finishing eighth in a Super-G six years ago.
“Kitzbühel is the holy grail of downhill, so I couldn’t be happier,” said the Frenchman, who took 36th and 38th place in two descents a week ago at another classic resort, Wengen in Switzerland.
Looking for his fourth career victory on the Streif, Dominik Paris struggled throughout his race and shook his head after crossing the finish line.
The Italian, who led the downhill standings, was 27th more than two seconds behind the leader.
Marcel Hirscher was one of the forerunners who tested a course before the start of the race. The eight-time World Cup winner in Austria, eliminated, has never made a downhill in his career.
“Kitzbühel has been lacking in my career,” Hirscher said. “This is the fastest, most peril and most impressive descent, so I am grateful that I was able to drive it without pressure today.”